About Us

The Invasive Species Research Institute (the “ISRI”) was incorporated in September of 2021, with the mission to discover and promote environmentally responsible solutions to control the spread and impact of invasive plant, animal and bacterial species that are causing some of our most pressing environmental and social problems, including threats to our food and water supply, threats to our forests and other ecosystems, pollution, climate change and the potential extinction of scarce plants, animals and microbes.

In some instances chemical pesticides can be used to control pests, often these chemicals are acutely toxic, some are suspected carcinogens and the use of some chemical pesticides has been shown to have other harmful effects on the environment, humans, animals and beneficial insects. And many of these chemical pesticides have not actually proven effective against the invasive species the ISRI plans to target. In lieu of such products, the ISRI intends to focus on more environmentally responsible solutions, including (1) microbial pesticides, which contain a microorganism such as a bacterium or fungus as the active ingredient; and (2) biochemical pesticides, which are naturally occurring substances with a non-toxic mode of action such as insect sex pheromones, certain plant extracts and fatty acids. From an environmental perspective, such solutions have low toxicity, posing low risk to most non-target organisms, including humans, other mammals, birds, fish and beneficial insects, and are also biodegradable.

ISRI intends to grow a portfolio of potentially viable innovations to control invasive species through a multi-step process. First, the ISRI anticipates licensing or receiving donations of intellectual property from private and public sources, including research institutions and environmentally conscious for-profit companies, consisting of microbes, plant extracts, and other compounds that may (and in most cases may not) have pesticidal effects with respect to invasive species. The ISRI would, directly or through collaborations with universities and other scientific research institutions, screen these compounds to determine efficacy against invasive species, and in the event that any potentially viable candidates are discovered, would conduct proof of concept studies. In the event safe, sustainable and effective pesticides are identified to solve target invasive species problems, the ISRI would license these invasive species control solutions to commercial entities for development and deployment. For a summary of the discovery process to be undertaken by the ISRI, as compared to the development, commercialization, and sales process to be undertaken by others, please see the figure included at the end of this summary.

The ISRI initially intends to focus on seven invasive species as follows:

• Zebra and Quagga Mussels
• Asian Carp
• Toxic Algae
• Bark Beetles (including Pine, Mountain and Spruce)
• Borer Beetles (including Emerald Ash, Gold Spotted oak and Invasive Shot Hole)
• Aquatic & Terrestrial Weeds

The ISRI will also raise awareness of the impact of invasive species and promote the acceptance of biological and other environmentally responsible solutions to the problem through education campaigns and outreach to the public at large, industry leaders and key thought leaders.

It is anticipated that any physical facilities utilized by the ISRI will be located in Northern California in Davis,  a center for life sciences research in environmental stewardship and sustainability.  ISRI’s activities will be centered around various universities in the United States such as University of California at Davis and the University of Michigan. The activity will start initially with its two founders, Dr. Pam Marrone and Jim Boyd, who worked together in the past as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer and President, respectively of Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc., a discoverer and developer of biological solutions for the management of pests in the agricultural industry, and was the country’s only publicly traded company with an exclusive focus on biological pest control and plant health solutions.

ISRI’s initial priority will be  hiring an initial team of research scientists to begin discovery, development and educational outreach. ISRI expects the majority of its officers and directors’ time will be spent on the mission-related activities described above.