Our product innovations are science-based and we use our collective knowledge and academic-standard test methods to validate their efficacy and impacts.
In the laboratory in Wageningen, we maintain mosquito colonies of Aedes aegypti, Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus. These insects are used for product tests in our experimental set-ups. Our test facilities include (WHO-standard) bioassays for insecticide-resistance and mortality impact measurements, odour evaluation set-ups to test mosquito attraction and repellency, small and large cage tests for insecticidal and autodissemination impacts and room-size cage tests for product efficacy measurements. We use the latest scientific knowledge to develop, validate and optimize our products. Because different mosquito species can differ greatly in behaviour and sensitivity to bioactives, we customize each product for its specific target insect.
For sound proof of concept evaluations, we also perform field tests with our products. The In2Care Mosquito Trap was, for instance, tested in a rural setting on the isle of Aruba in order to validate the trap attraction and potential impact in a realistic environment and against a wild mosquito population. Together with our project partner in Ifakara, Tanzania we also execute field tests with our products in malaria-endemic settings. Several proof-of-concept studies have been performed in so-called “semi-field” greenhouse compartments, which offer a controlled test setup where mosquitoes can be released and recaptured under realistic climate conditions and test settings that mimic rural Africa.
