oxitec factsheet
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8/14/2019 Oxitec Factsheet
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Healthy PeopleHealthy Environment
Oxitec has developed an innovative technology to
control insect pests that carry human disease anddamage crops.
Oxitec aims to reduce the spread o dengue ever, an emerging disease that a ects onehundred million people each year across the world and which is increasing in severity.Oxitec is also targeting insect pests that damage ruit and cotton. Oxitecs proprietary
technology employs modern biotechnology to render insects sterile and thereby controlpopulations, an approach which is environmentally sensitive and sa e.
Since its oundation as a spin out rom the University o Ox ord in 2002, Oxitec has builta broad port olio o patented technology as well as world-leading expertise in insect
molecular biology and regulatory a airs. The Company has advanced products throughmultiple testing steps, and works together with the governments o the USA and Malaysia.
A global opportunity
There is increasing world attention on the problem o mosquito-borne diseases. Dengue
ever is a virus that is spread by the urban, day-biting Aedes aegypti mosquito:
Dengue is increasing in incidence and severity, with over 55% o the worlds populationat risk
There are over 100 million cases o dengue ever each year and no available vaccines or
speci c medication While elimination o breeding sites works, in practice it is di cult to reduce mosquito
populations below the level at which they can transmit disease
Oxitecs technology will add a power ul tool to e ectively reduce mosquito numbers andthereby control disease. Oxitec is developing its technology as a control tool or Aedes
aegypti with support rom the Gates Foundation Grand Challenges or Global Health
Program. The technology is being evaluated by the Malaysian Ministry o Health and hasper ormed well in contained trials.
Oxitecs technology will also be used to combat insect pests that damage the qualityo ood crops. It can be used as the cornerstone o integrated pest management ormany species, acilitating reduced pesticide use. Oxitec is working with the United
States Department o Agriculture programmes to improve their management o bothMediterranean ruit fy and pink bollworm. Oxitecs pink bollworm product has completedtwo years o open eld testing in the USA.
Founded:2002
No o Employees:30
Focus:E ective and environment- riendly
technology or the control o insect pests
in public health and agriculture.
InvestorsUniversity o Ox ord
Ox ord Capital Partners
East Hill Management
ManagementDr David Brooks, CEO
Dr Luke Alphey, Research Director
Ann Kramer, Head o Business Development
AwardsThe Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Grand Challenges or Global Health Program
World Economic Forum Technology
Pioneer 2008
Collaborations United States Department o Agriculture
(USDA)
Ministry o Health, Malaysia
Institut Pasteur
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Gates consortium led by the University o
Cali ornia, Irvine
Environmental Health Institute, Singapore
International Institute o Biotechnology
and Toxicology, India
Centre or Cellular and Molecular Biology,India
University o Ox ord
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The Technology
Oxitecs insects are sterile in the absence o a speci c diet component, and can be usedas pest control agents. The sterile males will seek out wild emales and mate with them.
The emales lay eggs which do not develop into adults, leading to a decline in the targetpest population. This is an improvement on the well-established Sterile Insect Technique
(SIT) which uses radiation to sterilise insects. SIT has been used around the world tocontrol the voracious Mediterranean ruit fy, a quarantine pest that causes huge economic
damage by preventing the trade o ruit. It is also being used to control the pink bollworm,a destructive cotton pest and has been used on a large scale to rid North and Central
America o the fesh-eating maggot new world screwworm.
Oxitecs technology provides the ollowing bene ts over conventional SIT:
Improved cost-e ectiveness with tter insects that have not been exposed to irradiation
Improved biosa ety
Improved programme monitoring and management with integrated markers
It can be applied to many more species than traditional SIT, including mosquitoes
Sa ety
Oxitec complies with all relevant national and international legislation, and supports public
initiatives to establish appropriate standards. Regulatory rameworks are being developedaround the world to permit the testing and commercialization o this new technology.Insects bred by Oxitec are no di erent to native insect strains, apart rom their inability to
reproduce, and are subject to stringent assessment or their potential impact on healthand the environment.
Oxitec Limited71 Milton ParkOx ordOX14 4RXEngland
T: +44 (0)1235 832 393F: +44 (0)1235 861 138
Milestones:2002: Company ounded
2003: RIDL Technology plat orm
established with prototype strains o
Aedes (dengue ever) mosquitoes, pink
bollworm and Mediterranean ruit y
2003: Collaboration established with the
USDA to work on cotton pest
2004: Move to purpose-built o fces in
Milton Park, near Ox ord
2005: Contained feld trials with pink
bollworm in Arizona
2006: First open feld releases o pink
bollworm in commercial cotton
Recent highlights Feb 07: Oxitec announces new sex-
specifc pest control technology
Apr 07: USDA approval o larger scale
open feld trials to control pink bollworm
Aug 2007: US and Malaysian approval or
contained evaluation o Oxitecs dengue
ever control technology
Sep 2007: Trans ormation o the Asian
tiger mosquito
Oct 2007: Interim fnancing round o
1.5 million completed
Nov 2007: Oxitec nominated Technology
Pioneer 2008 o the World Economic
Forum
Contact detailsOxitec Limited
71 Milton Park
Ox ord
OX14 4RX
England
T: +44 (0)1235 832 393
F: +44 (0)1235 861 138
Last update: February 2008