Smell-based traps and repellents to control tsetse flies in Kenya
Official title: Expanding the toolbox for tsetse control in Kenya
Funded at Biotechnology Research Institute-Kalro · NIH-11319729 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Trying eco-friendly odor blends to attract or repel tsetse flies that spread sleeping sickness in people and animals in eastern Africa.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Biotechnology Research Institute-Kalro NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Kikuyu, Kenya) |
| Project start | April 5, 2022 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $141,739 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI169503-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11319729 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People and livestock living in tsetse-infested communities in eastern Africa (for example, in parts of Kenya) are the intended beneficiaries and may take part in field trials.
✕Less likely to help
People who live outside tsetse-infested areas or whose illnesses are unrelated to trypanosomiasis are unlikely to see direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
If you live in eastern Africa where sleeping sickness is a risk, researchers are creating eco-friendly odor blends that either lure tsetse flies into traps or push them away from people and livestock. They developed a novel attractant from wildlife odors that outperformed standard lures in preliminary tests and will compare it to natural cattle odors and other blends in real-world field trials. The team will test combinations of attractants and repellents on traps and treated targets placed near livestock and human settlements to measure how many flies are caught or deterred. They will also search for additional odor components that could make the lures or repellents more effective against different tsetse species.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lower tsetse bites and reduce cases of human and animal sleeping sickness by improving traps and repellents.
How similar studies have gone: Related odor-based attractants have shown promising results against key tsetse species in field tests, though broader community-level deployments remain limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Biotechnology Research Institute-Kalro
Kikuyu, Kenya Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mireji, Paul O — Biotechnology Research Institute-Kalro
- Study coordinator: Mireji, Paul O
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.