SenesTech
SenesTech (/sɛnɛstɛk/) is an agricultural biotechnology life-sciences company, specializing in fertility management as a form of pest control. Their first commercial product ContraPest is designed exclusively for brown and black rats, and is currently distributed throughout the United States to combat difficult rat infestations.[1][2][3][4] SenesTech has manufacturing and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
Type | Public |
---|---|
NASDAQ: SNES Russell Microcap Index component | |
Industry | |
Founded | 2004 |
Founder |
|
Headquarters | , |
Area served | United States |
Products | ContraPest |
Services | Fertility Control |
Number of employees | 35 |
Website | senestech |
History
Following the passing of her mentor from post-menopausal cancer, Loretta Mayer sold her assets and moved into cancer research to learn more about heart disease in women.[5] Mayer holds a B.A. in sociology from the University of California, San Diego and a M.S. and a Ph.D. in Biology/Biological Sciences from Northern Arizona University.[6] In a post-doctoral appointment with the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona, Dr. Loretta Mayer and Dr. Pat Hoyer co-developed a chemical method of inducing peri- and post-menopause in rodents.[5][7] Mayer later joined forces with Dr. Cheryl Dyer intending to further study post-menopausal mice, but after considerable interest and application requests from colleagues they realized they had created a useful commercial product as a result of their research.[5][8] SenesTech was officially incorporated in 2004.[9] SenesTech was featured on the TV show "Brave New World" with Stephen Hawking.[5][6][10] In December 2019, SenesTech launched an online store to allow for direct purchase, with release to the residential community in March 2020.
Products
ContraPest
![](../I/VCD_and_Triptolide.png.webp)
SenesTech's first product, ContraPest®, is a liquid contraceptive designed to reduce fertility in brown and black rats. ContraPest is a form of a birth control or contraceptive, not a sterilant, so a continuous supply is required to maintain reduced populations. ContraPest was submitted for registration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on August 23, 2015, and the EPA granted registration approval for ContraPest effective August 2, 2016. Removal of the "Restricted Use Only" label from ContraPest was ordered by the EPA in October 2018.[11][12] The active ingredients of ContraPest are 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD), which reduces oocytes in immature ovarian follicles[13] and triptolide reducing reproductive effects on both males and females.[14]
Deployment
Currently the city of Washington D.C. is utilizing a 5,000 unit, four-year supply of ContraPest® to be used in all eight wards of the city in an attempt to combat the increasing rat population.[3] Other notable locations include San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department[15] with 65% reduction in rat burrows, deployment by Pestmaster Services at a major transit agency in Southern California,[16] as well as by the St. Louis Gateway Arch Park Foundation in Missouri.[12]
Awards
SenesTech has received a number of awards including:
2014 – AZBio Fast Lane Award in honor of its achievements in outstanding milestones
2014 – TiE50 Company in recognition of it as a top life-sciences start-up in Silicon Valley
2015 – SBA Tibbetts Award recognizing high-tech small businesses for innovative and outstanding contributions[6]
2019 - Arizona Manufacturing Council - Excellence in Sustainability[17]
See also
References
- Inc, SenesTech. "SenesTech Announces Progress and Expansion of Washington DC ContraPest® Deployment". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
- FBN (2017-03-06). "New York State Approval is Major Step For SenesTech". Flagstaff Business & Online News | Northern Arizona Local Newspaper. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- Inc, SenesTech. "SenesTech Announces Progress and Expansion of Washington DC ContraPest® Deployment". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- Reporter, EMERY COWAN Sun Staff. "Booming in biotech: Flagstaff's SenesTech takes major leaps". Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
- "Loretta Mayer". PCT - Pest Control Technology. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
- "Loretta Mayer". Quality Assurance & Food Safety. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
- "A Conversation with Professor Patricia Hoyer | SWEHSC". swehsc.pharmacy.arizona.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
- Kisner, Jordan (2016-09-20). "Man v rat: could the long war soon be over? | Jordan Kisner". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
- "Entity Details - Secretary of State, Nevada". www.nvsos.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
- Reality2 (2014-03-21), SenesTech - Discovery World, retrieved 2019-04-17
- "'Restricted Use Only' Removed From ContraPest Label". PCT - Pest Control Technology. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
- "SenesTech Announces Fiscal 2018 Financial and Operational Results". www.news9.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- "FAQ | Senestech". Retrieved 2019-03-15.
- "(PDF) Evaluation of ContraPest fertility control on black rats Laboratory Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Fertility Control Bait ContraPest ® on Wild-captured Black Rats (Rattus rattus) | Academic Technical Report". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
- Inc, SenesTech. "San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department Achieves Success with ContraPest and Expands Deployment in 2020". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
- Inc, SenesTech. "SenesTech and Pestmaster Announce ContraPest® Deployment in Southern California Transit Agency". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- Blufish (2019-10-08). "Here's who was named Arizona Manufacturers of the Year". AZ Big Media. Retrieved 2021-01-05.