Fertility Control Agent for Targeted Treatment of Animal Species

Background Annually, about $30 billion is lost due to food and property damage caused by rodents and other mammalian pests worldwide. In the United States alone, rats and mice destroy almost $2 billion worth of foodstuffs and property annually. Insurance companies and government agencies spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually due to health complications and property loss caused by exposure to the pest. Currently, traps and poisons are used to control rats and mice. Poisons consist mainly of anticoagulants that are expensive and highly toxic to all vertebrates. Plus dead mice still contaminate the food and grain. Poisons also can contaminate food stores and groundwater, creating health risks to a broader population.

Invention Description For some time now, researchers have been trying to develop a method to decrease rodent fertility as a means of rodent control. A potential approach for rodent sterilization is by inducing immune responses against the reproductive system of the rodent. The fertility control agent comprises a genetically engineered plant that prevents sperm capacitation and thus fertilization when it is eaten by rodents.

Benefits

Easily applied Species-specific Environmentally neutral More humane than current methods Cost effective

Features

Induced sterility is maintained only as long as the mice ingest the bait; target population remains intact. Because targeted population remains intact, there are fewer concerns about outside rodents invading and establishing their own territorial population. Target animal becomes up to 85% sterile; population will be halved in about 35 weeks.

Market Potential/Applications Annually, millions of tons of harmful pesticides and rodenticides are applied with dangerous implications. The $30 million plus rodenticide market is in need of new techniques to control pests which carry disease and harm suburban land. The technology can be applied not only to rodents but to all mammals specifically, to other vermin.

Development Stage Lab/bench prototype

UT Researcher George B. Kitto, Ph.D., Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Austin Daniel C. Hirschhorn, Ph.D., Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin

Type of Offer: Licensing



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