Date: Jun 05, 2015 Source: SBIR.gov (
click here to go to the source)
SBIR/STTR SUCCESS
SENESTECH
From chewing through electrical wiring, to spreading dangerous diseases through
droppings, to wreaking havoc on public transportation systems, damage produced by rats
can be devastating.
SenesTech's technology takes a proactive approach. Its patented and potent bait, which does
no harm to the animal, sends the rats into menopause. This sterilization allows users to get
ahead of the curve, and makes poisons and snap traps seem as archaic as they sound.
"People are learning that they are never going to get ahead by killing," explains Ali
Applin, Vice President of Business Development for SenesTech. "The real problem is the
reproduction. If you can stop that, you can gain control over rodent infestations. Our bait
gets to the root causes of the problem; reproduction."
Dr. Loretta Mayer, co-founder of SenesTech, was studying heart disease after a friend
suffered from the illness. Heart disease research for middle-aged women was conducted
on mice, which were put into menopause by surgical removal of their ovaries. Since
most women don't enter menopause in this way, she created a mouse model, called
"mouseapause," which gradually sent the mice into menopause. When a local vet
discovered how she had successfully sterilized the mice, he called her up and asked if
they could do this for dogs. The interest in her work kept snowballing, and soon Dr. Mayer
applied for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award through the National
Institutes of Health (NIH).
AGENCIES
NIH, USDA
SNAPSHOT
Completed successful pilot tests
in the New York Subway system,
the neighborhoods of Metropolitan
Boston, and the rice fields in
Southeast Asia. Will be made
available for commercial sale after
EPA registration. Grew from 2
employees to 25.
SENESTECH
3140 N. Caden Court
Suite 1
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
senestech.com
info@senestech.com
928.779.4143
W hile access to birth control will forever be a hot-button political and social issue in this
country, there is one demographic in which it could be made readily available -- the rat
population. SenesTech and its patented ContraPest fertility management bait is set to be
supplied to the country's rattiest places -- starting with the Chicago subway system (CTA).
Rodent control has become a losing battle. Female rats start reproducing when they are 2 months old. They
reproduce every single month, with as many as 12 per litter. Since they are immediately able to get pregnant
again, efforts to kill the rats are futile and cannot keep pace with their constant mating habits. Cities get hit
the hardest with rodent issues. Although rodent population statistics aren't readily available, mostly because
this isn't a figure city governments want to highlight, rodent control is a costly and inefficient process.
MADE IN SPACE, INC.
3140 N. Caden Court, Suite 1
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
senestech.com
info@senestech.com
(928) 779-4143
The New York Metropolitan
Transportation Authority enlisted
SenesTech and the National
Institutes of Health to test its pilot
program on the city's subway
system in an effort to control the
rat population.
"When we got our first SBIR award, we had 5 employees and no money," added Applin. "This award allowed us to get incredible
exposure, and most importantly to fund the New York City study that really put us in the public eye."
The pilot project in New York City was a chance to test the bait in an urban setting. The company used both solid and liquid bait
scattered around trash rooms, and found that the latter was highly attractive to rats. Since rats have a sweet receptor, much like the
human "sweet tooth," they are drawn to the sugary substance in the bait. The egg cream-like bait contains fat, water, and sweetner,
along with the two active ingredients; one chemical based and one plant based, which causes the rats to become infertile. Since
rats need to drink at least 10% of their body weight in water each day, they are repeatedly drawn to the tasty liquid.
While the company was working in NYC, a local reporter got wind of what was going on. Soon NPR picked up the story and
SenesTech was getting flooded with calls and inquiries about their products.
SenesTech wrapped up its first pilot in NYC and is hoping to secure funding for a Phase II project with expanded sites. Meanwhile,
Chicago, which was named the "Rattiest City" by Orkin, has expressed interest in doing a similar pilot, which is slated to start in
mid July of this year. SenesTech is going through the EPA registration process currently to ensure safety and efficiency, and once
complete, will sell its product worldwide. The platform technology has potential applications in a number of industries and has
enormous potential in the agricultural sector. In rural settings, rats consume pig feed and contaminate the crops, causing farmers
costly damage. Dr. Mayer recently visited the World Food Program in Rome, where she was told that 20-40% of its stored food is
contaminated or consumed by rodents, making rats a huge factor in global food security.
SenesTech hopes to expand its platform to other mammals, including gophers, prairie dogs, wild pigs, feral cats and dogs, and
wild horses.
The average female rat produces about 4-7 litters a year. With up to 12 pups per litter, the rat battle cannot be won by killing. SenesTech's ContraPest
focuses on sterilizing rats.
