Pheronym is a biotechnology company located Davis, California founded by Dr.Fatma Kaplan and Karl Cameron Schillermaking. Pheronym makes pheromone-like molecules for pest control that produce economically advantageous behaviour in parasitic nematodes; driving them away from plants, and towards insects. The company claims their pheromone technology — when applied to nematodes — results in an 5X increase in targeted insect kill rates compared to untreated nematodes; while non-target insects remain safe, and no harmful residues are left in the environment.
Products
Nemastim
Nemastim is a pheromone product that used to treat commercial nematodes used for pest control and can be sprayed using regular pesticide/herbicide spraying equipment. When commercial nematodes are treated with Nemastim, they are stimulated to search for and kill insect pests. The application of Nemastim is broad spectrum, meaning it stimulates nematodes to attack 28 known insect pest. Nemastim makes nematodes target and kill insect pests for the following crop varieties: almonds, apricots, cherries, cucumbers, oranges, peaches. pecans, tomatoes, and many more.
Grants/Awards
2018: Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services: Specialty Crop Block Grant Award
CEO and founder of Pheronym Dr. Fatma Kaplan, along with a team of scientists from the University of Florida, won the 2018: Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services: Specialty Crop Block Grant Award for their research proposal titled "Nematode-resistant pepper varieties for Florida".
2017: USDA-SBIR phase I award
On October 18, 2017 Pheronym was awarded a $100,000 USDA-SBIR Phase I grant to support further research into the development and application of Pheronym's pheromone technology.
Funding
Seed
In March 30, 2017 Pheronym was accepted into IndieBio's 4.5 month long accelerator program receiving $250,000 in funding from IndieBio and SOSV.
Timeline
2018: Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services: Specialty Crop Block Grant Award
CEO and founder of Pheronym Dr. Fatma Kaplan, along with a team of scientists from the University of Florida, won the 2018: Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services: Specialty Crop Block Grant Award for their research proposal titled "Nematode-resistant pepper varieties for Florida".
2017: USDA-SBIR phase I award
On October 18, 2017 Pheronym was awarded a $100,000 USDA-SBIR Phase I grant to support further research into the development and application of Pheronym's pheromone technology.
Seed funding
In March 2017, Pheronym was accepted into IndieBio's 4.5 month long accelerator program receiving $250,000 in funding.
People
Catherine Campbell
Advisor
Dr. Jenny Rooke
Advisor
Dr. Zach Wochok
Advisor
Dr.Fatma Kaplan
CEO/CSO
Dr.Pam Marrone
Advisor
Julie Morris
Advisor
Karl Cameron Schiller
COO
Kim Nicholson
Advisor
Terri Mead
Advisor
Further reading
A blend of small molecules regulates both mating and development in Caenorhabditis elegans
Jagan Srinivasan, Fatma Kaplan, Ramadan Ajredini, Cherian Zachariah, Hans T. Alborn, Peter E. A. Teal, Rabia U. Malik, Arthur S. Edison, Paul W. Sternberg, and Frank C. Schroeder
Academic paper
Interspecific Nematode Signals Regulate Dispersal Behavior
Fatma Kaplan, Hans T. Alborn, Stephan H. von Reuss, Ramadan Ajredini, Jared G. Ali, Faruk Akyazi, Lukasz L. Stelinski, Arthur S. Edison, Frank C. Schroeder, Peter E. Teal
Academic paper
On the Steps Between Scientist and Founder: An Interview with Fatma Kaplan - SynBioBeta
Emilia Díaz
Open the Gates to the Namatode Pheromone World
Fatma Kaplan
Academic paper
Pheronym’s journey: 2017 and beyond – Fatma Kaplan, Ph.D. – Medium
Fatma Kaplan, Ph.D.
Tune in to IndieBio Accelerator’s Demo Day today
Neesha A. Tambe
Why eco-friendly solutions? - SynBioBeta
Dr. Fatma Kaplan
Documentaries, videos and podcasts
Companies