N.S. researcher develops award-winning idea to keep ticks at bay

A Nova Scotia researcher earned an award in innovation for her all-natural tick repellent.

A Nova Scotia researcher has developed an award-winning idea to keep ticks at bay.

Nicoletta Faraone, an associate professor in Acadia University’s chemistry department, studies ticks and natural products.

“So trying to understand how ticks detect repellents and attractant and use this information for designing and developing new repellent products,” said Faraone.

She has been working with a Nova Scotia company, AtlanTick, to develop a fabric spray.

“There was nothing comparable on the market, specifically natural products and essential oils, that could be applied on your clothing, on your camping gear for example,” said Faraone.

The company is currently going through the registration process with Health Canada and hopes to launch the product by next year.

Faraone says it’s important to be able to understand how ticks process chemical signals as they are blind and rely on their sense of smell to detect a potential host.

“It’s really fascinating and, if we can understand this mechanism, it can give us really the tools for properly developing new products for managing this pest,” she said.

Faraone received the Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation for her work developing the fabric spray tick repellent.

“It’s an incredible recognition for me, for Acadia University, and it represents how important it is in creating a new product and in creating an impact in innovation,” she said.

“It’s the highlight of my career and I was very happy to represent Nova Scotia.”

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