An eco-friendly mosquito trap prototype developed at LSTM has been awarded research funding to support its further development.
Dr Fabricio Martins' Mosquito Eco-friendly Light Trap (MELT) has received two rounds of funding through the ICURe DISCOVER and EXPLORE programmes. The programme, backed by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Innovate UK, supports UK research with commercial potential through a comprehensive 12-week market exploration phase, providing up to £35,000 to validate business pathways for licensing or spinout.
The MELT project aims to provide a sustainable and innovative approach to public health entomological surveillance by developing a cost-effective, standalone, and energy-efficient eco-friendly mosquito trap. Lab-based tests confirm that MELT is effective against broad mosquitoes’ species.
The Enterprise & Innovation (E&I) Team at LSTM has been instrumental in MELT's development, providing guidance on licensing and spinout options and aligning with LSTM’s support of the University Spin-out Companies review. The E&I team is exploring partnerships and investment opportunities to drive MELT’s deployment globally with a focus on resource-limited settings.
Dr Martins, Entrepreneur Leader and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at LSTM, said: “Inventing MELT at LSTM has been a collaborative journey, drawing on the expertise and support of my colleagues at the Department of Vector Control, LSTM's Enterprise & Innovation Team and the ICURe programme. The ICURe funding allows us to push MELT towards commercialization, validating its real-world impact. This support has been crucial in realizing MELT’s potential as an accessible, eco-friendly mosquito control solution.”
To find out more about the MELT project access its website.