The Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz) assumed co-participation in the patent for a larvicide against Aedes aegypti, vector of dengue, Zika e chikungunya.
Developed together with foreign universities, the technology uses orange oil capsules coated with baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to kill mosquito larvae.
“There are two completely biodegradable ingredients: orange oil encapsulated in yeast, that is, the yeast used to make bread,” describes the head of the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Insect Physiology at IOC, Fernando Ariel Genta.
The new product, in addition to being sustainable and not harming the environment, does not cause Aedes to become resistant to traditional chemical products.
Genta jokes that “yeast is to Aedes larvae what filet mignon is to humans.”
“The first advantage of the technology is the issue of targeting. Mosquito larvae love to eat yeast cells and have intestinal enzymes specialized in digesting them. Furthermore, one of the food sources recommended by the scientific literature for raising mosquito larvae in the laboratory is precisely yeast,” he emphasizes.
According to the researcher, an “environmental delivery” process occurs, in which the capsules are introduced directly into the breeding grounds, and the larvae consume them as food.
“The capsule will not accumulate in nature, as happens with chemical pesticides. Furthermore, our tests have shown that this innovation has minimal effect on the environment and other insects and is completely safe for humans.”
The creation of the larvicide began in 2017 with an international project to develop a sustainable larvicide, called 'An Environmentally Friendly Larvicide for Mosquito Control', a partnership between IOC and the University of New Mexico (UNM).
“They had the idea and we had the expertise to test it,” explains Genta, who met researcher Ravi Durvasula, the project leader, when he invited him to be a professor at IOC from a course on vectors.
The academic 'match' between the two was inevitable and the partnership was born soon after, with the active participation of IOC in testing and in the development of the project. In addition to Genta, Bruno Gomes, a researcher from the Insect Biochemistry and Physiology Laboratory, and students from the Postgraduate Program in Vector Surveillance and Control, who studied in Rio de Janeiro (Huarlen Ogélio, Juliana Welbert, Daisy Azevedo and Jean Paulo Costa), Minas Gerais (Fabiane Brandt) and Pará (Antonilde Arruda de Sá), also participated.
The patent was first filed in the name of the University of New Mexico in October 2023 under the protection of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
“The University of New Mexico has a very advanced entrepreneurship and innovation program, and when a company showed interest, the process was streamlined without bureaucracy on the Brazilian side,” recalls Genta.
In October 2024, with the support of the Technological Innovation Center of IOC (NIT-IOC) and the Technological Management Coordination (GESTEC) of the Fiocruz, a Patent Co-Ownership Agreement was signed with UNM. Finally, in February 2025, the Fiocruz approved the filing of the patent under the PCT.
Currently, the technology is ready to be commercialized and contribute to the sustainable control of Aedes aegypti.
The Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz) assumed co-participation in the patent for a larvicide against Aedes aegypti, vector of dengue, Zika e chikungunya.
Developed together with foreign universities, the technology uses orange oil capsules coated with baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to kill mosquito larvae.
“There are two completely biodegradable ingredients: orange oil encapsulated in yeast, that is, the yeast used to make bread,” describes the head of the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Insect Physiology at IOC, Fernando Ariel Genta.
The new product, in addition to being sustainable and not harming the environment, does not cause Aedes to become resistant to traditional chemical products.
Genta jokes that “yeast is to Aedes larvae what filet mignon is to humans.”
“The first advantage of the technology is the issue of targeting. Mosquito larvae love to eat yeast cells and have intestinal enzymes specialized in digesting them. Furthermore, one of the food sources recommended by the scientific literature for raising mosquito larvae in the laboratory is precisely yeast,” he emphasizes.
According to the researcher, an “environmental delivery” process occurs, in which the capsules are introduced directly into the breeding grounds, and the larvae consume them as food.
“The capsule will not accumulate in nature, as happens with chemical pesticides. Furthermore, our tests have shown that this innovation has minimal effect on the environment and other insects and is completely safe for humans.”
The creation of the larvicide began in 2017 with an international project to develop a sustainable larvicide, called 'An Environmentally Friendly Larvicide for Mosquito Control', a partnership between IOC and the University of New Mexico (UNM).
“They had the idea and we had the expertise to test it,” explains Genta, who met researcher Ravi Durvasula, the project leader, when he invited him to be a professor at IOC from a course on vectors.
The academic 'match' between the two was inevitable and the partnership was born soon after, with the active participation of IOC in testing and in the development of the project. In addition to Genta, Bruno Gomes, a researcher from the Insect Biochemistry and Physiology Laboratory, and students from the Postgraduate Program in Vector Surveillance and Control, who studied in Rio de Janeiro (Huarlen Ogélio, Juliana Welbert, Daisy Azevedo and Jean Paulo Costa), Minas Gerais (Fabiane Brandt) and Pará (Antonilde Arruda de Sá), also participated.
The patent was first filed in the name of the University of New Mexico in October 2023 under the protection of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
“The University of New Mexico has a very advanced entrepreneurship and innovation program, and when a company showed interest, the process was streamlined without bureaucracy on the Brazilian side,” recalls Genta.
In October 2024, with the support of the Technological Innovation Center of IOC (NIT-IOC) and the Technological Management Coordination (GESTEC) of the Fiocruz, a Patent Co-Ownership Agreement was signed with UNM. Finally, in February 2025, the Fiocruz approved the filing of the patent under the PCT.
Currently, the technology is ready to be commercialized and contribute to the sustainable control of Aedes aegypti.
The non-profit reproduction of the text is allowed as long as the source is cited (Comunicação / Instituto Oswaldo Cruz)
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