Our lab is currently working on developing species-specific larvicides in an effort to control the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses.
Vector mosquitoes inflict more human suffering than any other organism—and spread disease-causing pathogens that kill more than one million people each year. Despite the devastating impact of these insects on human society, we know very little about mosquito developmental biology. In recent years, our laboratory began a large-scale effort to develop the dengue and Zika vector mosquito Aedes aegypti as an emerging model for the study of mosquito developmental genetics. This research, which has primarily focused on mosquito central and sensory nervous system development, has included the first-ever targeted genetic knockdown studies of mosquito neural development. We recently piloted the use of siRNA nanoparticle-mediated gene targeting in A. aegypti larvae. Our laboratory has successfully used this technique to disrupt mosquito brain, olfactory, and visual development. We are also exploring the development of mosquito sexual dimorphism, particularly within the context of the developing nervous system. Other current projects include global discovery of gene regulatory elements that can be used to modify gene expression in multiple mosquito species, as well as the discovery of species-specific mosquito larvicides for Aedes aegypti as well as multiple Anopheline malaria vector mosquito species. Our laboratory’s in-depth analysis of mosquito developmental biology aims to promote the elucidation of tools to target mosquitoes before they are disease-transmitting adults.
