Perspectives On Bioinspired Product Development: Entrapping Surfaces Based On Leaf Microstructures

Scientists who work on bioinspired systems may see the potential for products resulting from their research, but are often unaware of the various steps or issues related to commercialization or product development. Commercialization topics lie outside the usual training of a basic biologist, and therefore much of their exposure to these topics is adventitious, such as from casual conversations at meetings. Thus, the information gleaned may be somewhat piecemeal. In this paper, I briefly summarize some of what I have learned over the last ten years about commercialization from a variety of different sources, related to a bioinspired project in which I am involved. My collaborators and I have invented and patented a technology to entrap insect pests by a purely physical mechanism (a "physical insecticide" that does not involve a chemical insecticide). This bioinspired technology is based on a historical control method, in which leaves from bean plants were used to capture bed bugs for hundreds of years in parts of Eastern Europe. Sharp recurved microstructures (nonglandular trichomes) on the leaf surfaces irreversibly impale the tarsi (feet) of the bed bugs as they walk over the surfaces, trapping them in place. Pest professionals have identified bed bugs as the most difficult pest to control; there is a clear need for new methods of control for this pest. There are societal benefits and consumer demand for products that are sustainable, without regulatory constraints, and that minimize insecticide exposure for humans. But how would these products be developed from this starting point of a bioinspired invention? I will briefly share some of our experiences in the early and ongoing product development of entrapping surfaces, with the hope that this might interest or aid others who are considering entrepreneurial activities. Unfamiliar topics such as intellectual property, customer segmentation, value propositions, business models, conflict of interest, and conflict of commitment may require some attention from prospective entrepreneurs. This brief and introductory overview is intended for those academic scientists with little to no experience or knowledge in the area of commercialization.