Davis, California, USA
June 9, 2020

Pheronym, a bio-ag-tech pest control company, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant for its nematode pheromone focused pest control solution. The $225,000 award will help the company bring its patented approach to the market by developing advanced fermentation methods to manufacture its nematode dispersal and infectivity pheromones, which are used to enhance control of agricultural pests. Pheronym has now secured a total of $1,150,000 in research grants over the past two years. Learn more about the grant details here.

Dr. Fatma Kaplan, CEO of Pheronym
 

“We continue to move aggressively forward on the path of commercialization,” said Dr. Fatma Kaplan, CEO of Pheronym. “This grant will allow us to focus the necessary resources on a scalable manufacturing process.”

“With two peer-reviewed papers in hand that demonstrate the efficacy of pheromone products, this new research on production approaches will greatly advance the technology toward commercialization”, said Dr. David Shapiro-Ilan, USDA-ARS (Co-PI on the project). “The benefit for farmers large and small would be significant, resulting in wider adoption of environmentally responsible and sustainable pest control solutions.”

About Pheronym:
Award-winning Pheronym is an ag-biotech pest management company that enables sustainable farming through its novel platform of nematode pheromones. Based in Merritt Island, Florida, and Davis, California, the company uses a new pheromone to control plant-parasitic nematodes (microscopic roundworms) in an eco-friendly way and enhances beneficial nematodes’ efficacy to eliminate insect pests. Learn more at http://www.pheronym.com.

About the National Science Foundation's Small Business Programs:
America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $1.75 million to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.1 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. Learn more at nsf.gov.

Website: https://www.pheronym.com/

Published: June 9, 2020