CRISPR directed manipulation of behavior and receptors in mosquitoes to control devastating infectious diseases
The mosquito, Aedes aegypti, spreads the viruses that cause dengue, yellow fever, zika and other diseases that affects hundreds of millions each year. Our laboratory is defining the cellular and receptor mechanisms that these mosquitoes use to find human hosts, as well as for nectar feeding and mating. To do so, we are combining a wide range of approaches including behavior, electrophysiology, and CRISPR/Cas9 to knockout receptors/channels. We are also developing methods to improve approaches to suppress the populations of these invasive mosquitoes.