Press release

Evolva Press Release, August 10, 2020

Information paper

NootkaShield Information Paper

Technical Expert

Giovanni Salerno, MSc, MPharm.

Vice President of Commercial Nootkatone at Evolva

Giovanni Salerno is responsible for commercializing Evolva’s exclusive nootkatone technology for the pest control industry as senior vice president of Global Technology and Integration. Most recently, he was site manager for Evolva Research & Development facilities in Lexington, Kentucky. Under his leadership, Evolva received the EPA biopesticide classification and developed nootkatone through an $8.3 million award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Since 2006, Salerno has served Evolva as vice president of Research and Development, managing a Department of Defense (DoD) funded antibiotic program targeting a new biothreat, and project integration manager, managing a $27 million program funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Previously, Salerno led the Transversal Programmes for the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), a Geneva based non-profit, focused on addressing antimicrobial resistance. He completed his Master of Science degree in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Master of Pharmacy degree at the University of Trieste in Italy.

Giovanni Salerno LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovanni-salerno-a993305/

FAQs

NootkaShield FAQ

Research

  1. Evolva studies show NootkaShield™ nootkatone is effective at repelling and controlling a wide spectrum of biting insects, including mosquitoes and ticks. Evolva proprietary research, results available upon request.
  2. CDC Confirms Efficacy of Nootkatone In Field Trial
    McAllister JC, Adams MF, Mode of action for natural products isolated from essential oils of two trees is different from available mosquito adulticides. Division of Vector-Borne Infections Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Journal of medical entomology. 2010 Nov;47(6):1123-6.
  3. NootkaShield™ can be an effective alternative to mosquito populations with resistance to conventional pesticides
    Jordan RA, Schulze TL, Dolan MC, Efficacy of plant-derived and synthetic compounds on clothing as repellents against Ixodes scapularis and Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae). Journal of medical entomology. 2012 Jan;49(1):101-6.

Images and Videos

Nootkatone Media coverage

About Evolva

Evolva is a Swiss biotech company focused on the research, development and commercialization of products based on nature. We have leading businesses in flavors and fragrances, health ingredients and health protection. Evolva’s employees are dedicated to producing the best ingredients that can contribute to health, wellbeing and sensory enjoyment. Find out more at www.evolva.com.

About nootkatone

Nootkatone is an ingredient found in minute quantities in the heartwood of the Alaska yellow cedar (also known as the Nootka cypress) and in the skin of grapefruit. It can also be produced on an industrial scale from brewing via yeast fermentation. Nootkatone has been tested against a variety of biting and nuisance pests, including the ticks that are responsible for spreading Lyme disease and the mosquitoes contributing to the spread of diseases such as Zika, chikungunya, dengue and West Nile viruses.

About Evolva’s collaboration with CDC and BARDA

Evolva received US federal funds from the Office of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), through CDC, under Contract No. HHSO100201700015C. Funds were awarded to Evolva to develop nootkatone-based end-user products against select mosquito-borne diseases like Zika.

About Lyme disease and Zika virus

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Zika virus disease (Zika) is a disease caused by Zika virus that is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti or Ae. albopictus species mosquito. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). Because the symptoms of Zika are similar to those of many other diseases, many cases may not have been recognized.

Contact information

Barbara Duci
Head of Investor and Corporate Relations
barbarad@evolva.com
+41 61 485 20 03