Health protection

A regenerative mindset aims at achieving bigger impact – such as restoring the ecosystem and making people live healthier, longer lives^[1].

This will impact areas such as health protection with great potential like the Global Insect Repellent with a market size expected to reach 8.7 billion by 2025^[2].

According to the WHO, vector-borne diseases account for 17% of all infectious diseases, causing more than 700,000 deaths each year. Distribution of these diseases is determined by a complex dynamic of environmental and social factors. Globalisation of travel and trade, unplanned urbanisation and environmental challenges such as climate change are having a significant impact on disease transmission in recent years. Some diseases, such as dengue, chikungunya and West Nile virus are emerging in countries where they were previously unknown.

Mosquito- and tickborne diseases are a growing threat worldwide. As an example, in the US state and territory the number of reported cases of mosquito – and tickborne diseases doubled from 2004-2018. Tickborne diseases represent almost eight in 10 of all reported vector-borne disease cases in the United States.

At Evolva technology platforms enable us to provide health protection products with high efficacy that can contribute to the health and wellbeing of health-conscious consumers worldwide.

Nootkatone is an ingredient found in minute quantities in the bark of the Alaska yellow cedar (also known as the Nootka cypress) and in the skin of grapefruit. Nootkatone has been tested against a variety of biting pests, including ticks that are responsible for spreading Lyme disease and mosquitoes that spread Zika, chikungunya, dengue and West Nile viruses. For this application, we have developed a nootkatone-based product branded as NootkaShield™.

In 2014 Evolva started to work with the support of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the nation’s health protection agency, on research and development of nootkatone. In 2017, Evolva received a contract from the Department of Health and Human Services Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to advance the development of a next-generation active ingredient for use in insecticides and insect repellents to protect people.

Evolva has a long-standing commitment to advancing research across a broad range of areas that accelerate the development of ingredients based on nature.

Read more on the NootkaShield™ product website