Poseidon Sciences adds new capabilities with a new model for tick repellent testing
The Insect Control Laboratories of Poseidon Sciences Group has recently developed a bioassay to validate the efficacy of tick repellent products. Because of the growing health issues posed by tick-borne diseases such as Lyme Disease in US and Europe, there is a significant need to develop repellents that are effective and safe for human beings and pets. With Climate Change, even with traditionally cooler regions, such as Scotland, will see a boom in tick populations, according to the recent scientific paper in the Royal Society Journals this month.
In the US, a tick-borne illness called babesiosis is also on the rise with warming climate and increased human entry into wooded areas and interaction with animals like deer and mice that are infected with ticks. The bite by ticks infected with parasites causes symptoms ranging from fevers, headaches, kidney failure and even death. Dr. Chin-Hong from University of California San Francisco says that ‘warmer 
climate increase tick survival, shorten the life cycle of ticks and increase the duration of tick season. There is no vaccine for tick-borne illnesses. Prevention by limiting tick exposure and use of repellents are the best options.
Most testing on tick repellents are conducted in vitro methods or using a mouse model. How directly relevant such tests are in repelling ticks under real world conditions is subject to speculation. But tests should also balance the dangers of tick bite, with the scientific need to validate. Here, we describe a novel, non-contact method using human hands as the attractant for ticks. Please see this link in our website:
https://poseidonsciences.com/insect-control/insect-repellent/#tick
This method has already been validated using commercial product with claims as tick repellents and also with various concentrations of DEET. More important, the method employs human volunteers without the danger of the tick biting.
Jonathan R. Matias, Executive Director