A Novel Species-selective Rodenticide: a Humane, Environmentally Safe Solution to Protect Biodiversity and Agriculture

Mice and rats cause billions of dollars in agricultural losses each year, yet current rodenticides used to control them are highly problematic for local ecosystems. Traditional anticoagulant rodenticides poison raptors, foxes, coyotes, and other predators that consume contaminated rodents, resulting in biodiversity loss, ecosystem disruption, and regulatory backlash. These poisons also cause prolonged suffering in rodents and persist in soil and water long after use.

This project lead by the laboratory of Craig Crews PhD, is developing a new class of species-selective, environmentally responsible rodenticides designed to rapidly eliminate rodents without harming other wildlife. Building on breakthroughs in targeted protein degradation, our team is developing an orally administered small molecule that exploits a murine-specific pathway to trigger degradation of an essential protein. Because this mechanism exists only in mice and rats, the compound remains biologically inactive in birds, pets, livestock, and humans, eliminating the secondary poisoning that endangers wildlife worldwide.

Recent research progress includes identifying a key molecular target in mice and validating selective protein degradation across multiple experimental platforms, confirming the scientific basis for species specificity. Early in vivo work also suggests that new derivatives with improved pharmacokinetic properties are promising candidates for future testing.

This project represents a transformative alternative to toxic anticoagulants. By targeting only the intended species, it aims to:

• Protect raptors and other wildlife from secondary poisoning
• Support sustainable agriculture without ecosystem contamination
• Reduce long-term environmental persistence associated with current rodenticides
• Offer a rapid and non-accumulative method for controlling rodent populations

Through Yale Planetary Solutions, this initiative is moving towards optimizing our compounds and towards in vivo proof-of-concept studies, regulatory planning, and commercialization pathways. Its ultimate goal is to replace ecologically harmful rodenticides with a safe, precise, and sustainable technology that benefits biodiversity, food systems, and planetary health.