SBIR Phase I: Long-Lasting Insect Repellent Systems Based on Fatty Acids and Their Derivatives

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is to enhance public health by the introduction of safer insect-repelling textiles. The Phase I SBIR effort will lead to the development of textiles embedded with a new long-lasting insect repellent system derived from coconut fatty acids. This project will advance a safer insect repellent to reduce vector-borne diseases and to eliminate the health issues resulting from currently available synthetic products. The insect repellent market is currently valued at $5.64 billion, and the proposed work will address issues generated by synthetic repellents. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to test new coconut fatty acid-based compounds that enable the prolonged release of insect repellent fatty acids via textile impregnation. With growing health concerns over the use of DEET and increasing occurrences of permethrin-resistant strains of mosquitos, active compounds based on coconut fatty acids are a viable option for safe and effective replacement. The proposed research is to develop and to test the release system that will gradually supply insect-repelling fatty acid via the degradation of labile chemical bonds which hold the compound. These developmental products are envisioned to provide prolonged insect repellency compared to the supposed gold standard synthetic repellents such as DEET and permethrin. The SBIR Phase I research will include proof of concept trials, development of analytical methods for accurate analysis of the active ingredient (chromatographic or spectroscopic), release studies, application trials (using standard methods established in the textile industry), and field performance testing on live insects (via surveys designed for agricultural research). A technical challenge for this project will be ensuring efficient impregnation of fabrics/textiles with the proposed insect repellent system and obtaining a suitable release timeframe after all steps of the fabric treatment.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.