Recipient Organization
ISCA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
2060 CHICAGO AVE STE C2
RIVERSIDE,CA 92507
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
ISCA Technologies proposes to further develop and optimize SPLAT® TK, an attract and kill(A&K) formulation designed to target all active stages of the deer tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, aspecies of major medical and veterinary significance in the U.S., due to its capacity to transmit Lyme disease and several other zoonotic pathogens. ISCA's sprayable, long-lasting SPLAT TK formulation will attract and arrest ticks in vegetation on the borders of high traffic or high risk areas, such as the edges of pastures, backyards, or hiking trails, thereby preventing them from locating and attaching to human or animal hosts. SPLAT TK consists of a blend of highly potent semiochemical components of the I. scapularis arrestment pheromone incorporated into SPLAT®, a patented, EPA-registered controlled-release matrix. This product can be tank-mixed by the end user with an appropriate reduced-risk acaricide to form an effective, environmentally friendly A&K formulation. Attraction to SPLAT TK blended with this tank-mixed acaricide component will result in the death or significant debilitation of all questing (host-seeking) ticks within the range of detection of the active semiochemicals. Our research suggests that very low quantities of acaricide are required to achieve desired levels of season-long tick control, as the selected pheromone components have been shown to induce ticks to cluster at the site of the attractants. The reduced toxicity of SPLAT TK is enabled by the synergy of a species-specific lure that attracts the target tick to a point source with a high dose of a reduced-risk acaricide. Unlike conventional acaricides, which must be applied as uniform cover sprays to be effective, SPLAT TK is designed to be dispersed as tiny, discrete point sources. These features facilitate this product's application across rural environments, even in areas of high human activity and in sensitive natural environments. SPLAT TK shows great commercial potential due to the increasing incidence of tick-borne disease in animals and humans, as well as the lack of effective control options for I. scapularis. By reducing the dangers posed by I. scapularis and the diseases transmitted by this species, we hope to safeguard the health of human and animal residents of our nation's rural communities and expand opportunities for economic growth within thesecommunities by bolstering such industries as rural tourism, camping, hiking, fishing, and agri-tourism, all of which are currently hampered by the lack of viable control options for disease-carrying ticks. In Phase II, this innovative, effective, and environmentally sustainable approach to tick control will be developed for application in livestock production, public health, parks andrecreation, and forestry pest management programs. The annual market potential for this product in U.S. rural communities is around $115M, with an additional potential sales value of ~$400Mto consumers in affected suburban markets. Phase I studies produced excellent results,demonstrating viability of the proposed solution. From several prototype SPLAT TK formulations of attractant/arrestant tick semiochemicals, two underwent small-scale field trials in New York that not only strongly suppressed nymphal I. scapularis populations, but alsocontrolled larval tick populations. Dead larvae, nymphs, and adults were found at or near SPLAT TK A&K deposits on the foliage in the field, indicating that attracted I. scapularis manipulatedthe formulation until intoxicated. In Phase II, we will continue to optimize the prototype SPLAT TK formulation, the blend of arrestant semiochemicals, and select the best candidate reduced risk acaricides, to create a highly effective A&K formulation for season-long control of I. scapularispopulations in the field. We will also conduct evaluations of various manual and mechanical methods of application for SPLAT TK, to identify the most effective means of deployment for this A&K product, and finally, perform small- and large-scale field trials in I. scapularis-infested regions, to demonstrate the potential of the final, optimized formulation of SPLAT TK for use in area-wide tick management programs. We will also commence commercialization efforts and begin pursuit of registration of the attractant and arrestant blend of SPLAT TK with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The major goals in this phase II project are comprised of five main tasks or objectives. The five tasks will incrementally build uponthe sucesses of the Phase I research, optimizing the prototype formulation in the lab, to field testing the formulation over twofield seasons, and finally investigation into EPA registration of the product so that it can be brought to market in the US.The tasks are summarized below:Task 1. Optimize the SPLAT TK A&K prototype formulation through evaluation of higher concentrations of one of the main components and evaluation of various reduced risk acaricide components. Task 2. Evaluate a variety of different methods of manual and mechanized application of SPLAT TK, to improve the ease of use and reduce the cost of such applications in the field. Task 3. Conduct small- and large-scale field trials to determine the capacity of our optimized SPLAT TK formulation, as identified through Task 1, applied at different point source densities, to reduce deer tick populations on an area-wide basis. Task 4. Involvement of stakeholders in problem identification and implementation of results. Task 5. Initiate efforts to register SPLAT TK as a new control product for the deer tick with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Project Methods
ISCA will identify the most effective components (attractant and acaricide) of each of the previously tested prototypes through iterative bioassays conducted in lab and semi field screened cages where we release known numbers of Deer ticks of specific age, sex and physiological state.The optimal Deer tick attractant blend will be incorporate into SPLAT formulations with small amounts of the best performing acaricide. This formulation will be optimized for mechanical or manual application of the A&K control products.