Selective Screening
The TyraTech screening platform facilitates the development of products that are selective for invertebrates. The selected and cloned G protein coupled receptor targets are only found in invertebrates, (e.g. insects, parasites) so mammalian toxicity is less likely to be an issue, providing products that are safer than traditional synthetic chemical pesticides.
The TyraTech platform provides a high-throughput assay that can rapidly screen thousands of candidates a day and enables prototype active formulations to be created within days. With this capability, combinations of compounds that can interact to produce synergistic activity can be rapidly identified. These mixtures are also pursued through the patent process, designed to give the Company intellectual property protection.
The invertebrate receptor based screening platform can:
- quickly identify activity of natural plant oil derived compounds as insecticides and parasiticides;
- quickly determine synergistic effect of combinations of natural plant oils;
- identify synergistic combinations of natural plant oils and synthetic pesticides by combining two or more different compounds that can bind two or more different receptors on the insect or parasite cells.; and
- provide quality control in manufacturing through qualification and acceptance of individual oil sources.
An example of the synergistic capability of TyraTech's platform is provided in the table below. This data shows that the activity of individual ingredients discovered with the TyraTech platform to kill the American Cockroach is synergistically increased to enable a rapid time to kill when used together in a blend:
| Ingredients | Mean time to kill (American Cockroach) |
| Ingredient A | 45 minutes |
| Ingredient B | 64 minutes |
| Ingredient C | 57 minutes |
| Ingredient D | 13 minutes |
| A,B,C and D blend | <½ minute |
There are several important benefits in achieving this level of synergy, including a superior performance or efficacy, improved product margins, as well as the basis for strong patent protection. An additional benefit expected form the multi-receptor target is a marked reduction in resistance development by the targeted insects or parasites. Development of resistance is an increasing problem with the use of the single receptor synthetic chemicals, resulting in the requirement for higher concentrations and/ or increased number of chemistries used to achieve the desired efficacy, or in certain cases, no longer being able to use the chemical pesticide.
TyraTech's proprietary technology is based on a unique discovery platform for the identification of both individual and combinations of compounds that can bind to sensitive G-protein coupled neurological and olfactory receptors of invertebrates (for example, insects and certain parasites). Compounds that bind to and activate these receptors have been shown to be powerful insecticides by triggering a disruption of the intra-cellular cAMP and "calcium cascade" pathway that is necessary for insect function and survival. This effect results in the repelling or killing of the invertebrate pests.
This diagram shows how TyraTech Nature's Technology
links to chemo-receptors to provide effective kill of insects
Primary Sources for Active Ingredients
The principal source of the natural materials that are used in TyraTech products are plant essential oils. These oils are naturally occurring chemicals which have evolved for plant defense against invertebrate attackers, and which can act as insecticides or repellents. Essential oils comprise the volatile compounds contained in the odorous parts of plants and are normally prepared by steam distillation. Examples of these oils include rosemary oil, citrus oil and thyme oil. They are contained in flowers, roots, bark, stems, leaves, fruits and seeds. These oils contain 15,000 to 20,000 active chemicals. Arbitrary screening of these individual compounds to find synergistic combinations for pesticide activity is impractical without a molecularly targeted high-throughput screening assay.