ETH spin-off develops solution for Zika Virus

Evolva was founded as a spin-off of ETH Zurich and is listed on SIX Swiss Exchange. Evolva has developed the an insect repellent called nootkatone, a citrus ingredient associated with grapefruit that has the potential to become an effective repellent against a range of insect pests including ticks, bed bugs and mosquitoes. Nootkatone appears to have a mode of action distinct from that of currently used pesticides, and therefore, could potentially be valuable for mitigating pesticide resistance in mosquito vectors. The repellent has already been confirmed to treat tick-borne diseases. It has now been established that nootkatone could also be ideal for fighting Zika virus infected mosquitoes.

Zika is one of a number of mosquito-borne viruses, which include both dengue and chikungunya that are transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. The World Health Organisation and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have declared the Zika virus a public health emergency. Zika is associated with potentially severe neuropathogenic and neurodevelopmental conditions in humans.

Evolva’s nootkatone against mosquitoes infected with Zika virus will be assessed in a number of studies sponsored by the US national Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health sponsor these studies. The study will evaluate nootkatone in multiple formulations against wild type and insecticide-resistant mosquitoes that carry the virus.

Studies will be conducted at Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, Colorado, under NIAID's preclinical services program. CSU researchers will test both the repellency and insecticidal properties of nootkatone against mosquitoes infected with the Zika virus. Data from these studies will supplement Evolva’s ongoing research to fulfil the US Environmental Protection Agency's requirements for the commercial launch of nootkatone.

This NIH-sponsored research represents the latest expansion of Evolva’s nootkatone work with the US government, which began as collaboration with the CDC. Evolva and the CDC initially examined nootkatone’s effectiveness for tick control as a novel approach to reduce the spread of tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease. In late February 2016, Evolva’s nootkatone collaboration with the CDC expanded to include an additional focus on mosquitoes, including those that transmit Zika, chikungunya, dengue and West Nile viruses.