Functional Microdispensers for Reducing Outdoor Malaria Transmission

Noel Elman of GearJump Technologies in the U.S. will produce a biodegradable device that can be used outdoors for the controlled release of pesticides and mosquito repellants in a defined area. Current methods for reducing malaria transmission by chemically targeting mosquitoes are quite crude and can cause widespread or prolonged exposure of the human population to toxic chemicals. They will build a functional microdispenser (FMD) from biodegradable polymer that releases chemicals contained in a porous membrane upon exposure to oxygen, which can be controlled by various parameters such as pore size. These FMDs can be manufactured at low cost using 3D printers, and will be tested in large outdoor cages.