TMOF Pill Starves Mosquito Larvae to Death
MALAYSIA – Biotechnology company, EntoGenex introduces a “diet pill” that can help fight off dengue. The pill contains a protein called Trypsin Modulating Oostatic Factor (TMOF) that shuts down mosquito larvae digestive system, starving them to death before they can grow and spread dengue.
“The pill has 100% success rate against all larvae species within 24 hours, and there is no way for resistance to build as it is not a toxic chemical but a protein which only affects mosquitos,” said EntoGenex founder, Tunku Naquiyuddin Tuanku Ja’afar.
TMOF is a small mosquito-derived peptide expressed within Pichia pastoris yeast cells forms the basis for the end use product with immediate applications as a mosquito larvicide. It is harmless to animals and humans.
Larvae love yeast and to make TMOF attractive it is mixed into yeast cells which are then inserted in rice husks. The rice husks can float on water where they will be eaten by mosquito larvae, said Alan Brandt, EntoGenex’s research head.
The protein stops production of trypsin, a critical enzyme without which digestion cannot occur.
Moreover, an equally tongue-twisting bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI) bacteria, which eats holes in the guts of larvae but is non-toxic to people has been added to the TMOF.
Most larvae die within an hour, and nearly all within 24 hours, said EntoGenex, which has held several successful field trials with universities and health authorities.
Mousticide BioLarvicide is now registered for use in Malaysia, Pakistan and the Philippines, while Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon and Sri Lanka are either conducting field trials or seeking approvals to use it.
The “pill”, which costs about one-eighth the price of manufacturing conventional neurotoxins like DDT, will lower costs dramatically, said Tunku Naquiyuddin.
Category: Features, Technology & Devices
