Invention:
This technology is a new method to control mosquito populations by disrupting mosquito-specific proteins important for embryonic development. Based on a bioinformatics study, a mosquito-specific regulatory protein, Eggshell Organizing Factor 1 (EOF1), was discovered, which is highly diverged from other species. EOF1 controls the synthesis of eggshell proteins from mosquito follicular epithelial cells. Experiments on mosquitos demonstrated that disrupting the biology of this eggshell formation pathway in the female mosquito after a blood meal results in non-viable eggs.
Background:
Approximately 80% of the global population is threatened by vector-transmitted diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, chikungunya, West Nile Virus, zika virus and various encephalitis diseases. Increasing insecticide resistance exacerbates this problem, and insecticides may also harm non-target populations. The transmission of mosquito-borne diseases has become so problematic that both the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization have made mosquito vector control a central feature of their organizational goals. Mosquitocides with new modes of action that are not also harmful to other species are needed. In addition, the Aedes aegypti mosquito breed have drought-tolerant eggshells, making them difficult to eliminate.
Applications:
Advantages:
- Targets biological pathway narrowly conserved to mosquitos
- Provides a new mode-of-action to overcome insecticide resistance
