UC Malaria Research and Control Group

UC Malaria Research and Control Group
Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of California - Davis
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616

Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California

Program Faculty and Collaborators

The UC Malaria Research and Control Group, part of the UC Statewide Mosquito Research Program, is a 21-member team comprised of scientists from four UC campuses and mosquito control experts from the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California.

UC Davis: Gregory Lanzaro, Anthony Cornel, Bruce Hammock, Sharon Lawler, Walter Leal, Shirley Luckhart, Sergey Nuzhdin, William Reisen and Thomas Scott

UC Riverside: Peter Atkinson, Nancy Beckage, Ring Cardé, Brian Federici, Sarjeet Gill, Karine LeRoch, Alexander Raikhel and William Walton

UCLA: Charles Taylor

UC Irvine: Timothy Bradley, Anthony James and Guiyun Yan

UC Berkeley: Michael Levine

Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California: Christopher Voight


	Peter W. Atkinson Professor, Department of Entomology Institute for Integrative Genome Biology University of California, Riverside Expertise: Mosquito genetics and molecular biology Research focus: Genetic control strategies for mosquito vectors Transposable elements and mosquito population genetics Web site

	Nancy E. Beckage Professor, Department of Entomology, Cell Biology and Neuroscience University of California, Riverside Research focus: Physiological and molecular host-parasite relationships Insect immunity, pathology, virology, endocrinology, and behavior mosquito biology and biologically-based control strategies Web site

	Timothy J. Bradley Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California, Irvine Expertise: Mosquito physiology, with special emphasis on salt and water balance, desiccation resistance, metabolic responses and energetics Research focus: Adaptations in larval mosquitoes to aquatic environments Metabolic responses of adult insects to environmental stresses Web site

	Ring T. Cardé Professor, Department of Entomology University of California, Riverside Expertise: Insect responses to semiochemicals, evolution of communication systems, and use of semiochemicals in pest management Research focus: Odor-guided mosquito behavior, attraction to odors and other cues from hosts and oviposition sites Web site

	Anthony J. Cornel Associate professor, Department of Entomology University of California, Davis Expertise: Ecology, systematics, cytogenetics and control of mosquitoes Research focus: Population structure of Anopheles gambiae s.l. in sub Saharan Africa Population structure of Culex pipiens s. l.--- in the USA and Africa Mechanisms of insecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae and Culex pipiens mosquito complexes Web site Research

	Brian A. Federici Professor, Department of Entomology University of California, Riverside Expertise: Insect pathology and microbial control with emphasis on viral and bacterial pathogens of medically important insects Research focus: Use of insecticidal bacteria as larvicides to control mosquito vectors of disease Recombinant DNA techniques to construct mosquitocidal bacteria more than tenfold more effective than those currently used in commercial bacterial larvicides Web site

	Sarjeet S. Gill Professor, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience University of California, Riverside Expertise: Insect biochemistry; insect and insecticide toxicology Research focus: Understanding transport pathways involved during blood feeding in mosquitoes Identification of the molecular mechanisms involved in viral release in mosquitoes Elucidation of the mechanisms of action of bacterial toxins used in mosquito control programs Web site

	Bruce D. Hammock Professor, Department of Entomology University of California, Davis Expertise: Biochemistry and physiology of endocrine regulation in insects; disruption of chemical mediation by chemical means and biotechnology; comparative pesticide metabolism in insects and mammals; selective toxicity of pesticides Research focus: Metabolism of pyrethroid insecticides in insecticide resistant strains of mosquitoes Natural toxins for possible mosquito control Substrates for monitoring genes associated with insecticide resistance in mosquitoes Purification of enzymes associated with insecticide resistance Web site (home page) Lab research: Superfund Basic Research and Training Program Laboratory of Pesticide and Biotechnology

	Anthony A. James Professor, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, College of Medicine; and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences University of California, Irvine Expertise: Mosquito genetic and molecular genetic tools Research focus: Genetic and molecular genetic tools to interrupt parasite transmission by mosquitoes Identification of vaccine and drug targets in malaria parasites Web site

	Gregory C. Lanzaro Medical entomologist; director of the University of California Mosquito Research Program School of Veterinary Medicine Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology University of California, Davis Expertise: Genetics and population biology of mosquitoes that transmit malaria Research focus: Population and molecular genetics of insect vectors of human disease, with an emphasis on malaria in Africa Molecular genetics and immunology of insect vector salivary proteins VM:PMI faculty page Lanzaro Vector Genetics Lab UC Mosquito Research Program

	Sharon P. Lawler Associate professor, Department of Entomology University of California, Davis Expertise: Aquatic community ecology; non-target effects of mosquito control (both chemicals and introduced fish) Research focus: Effects of mosquito adulticides on aquatic invertebrates Effects of irrigated rice management and flooding on mosquito populations Web site

	Walter S. Leal Professor, Department of Entomology University of California, Davis Expertise: Molecular basis of olfaction Research focus: Molecular basis of mosquito olfaction, with particular emphasis on odorant binding, release, and inactivation Chemical ecology- and sensory physiology-based approaches aimed at the discovery of novel attractants Web site Lab research

	Karine G. Le Roch Assistant professor, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience University of California , Riverside Expertise: Functional genomics of human malaria parasite ,Plasmodium falciparum Research focus: Functional genomics of human malaria parasite ,Plasmodium falciparum Interactome of P. falciparum Drug discovery against the malaria parasite Web site

	Michael Levine Professor of genetics and development Department of Molecular and Cell Biology University of California, Berkeley Expertise: Gene networks that control animal development and disease. Research focus: Control of segmentation and gastrulation in the early Drosophila embryo Immune response in Drosophila larvae Differentiation of the notochord and heart in the sea squirt, Ciona intestinalis. Web site Lab research

	Shirley Luckhart Associate professor, Medical Microbiology and Immunology School of Medicine, University of California, Davis Expertise: Molecular cell biology and biochemistry of the interaction between malaria parasites and mosquito hosts Research focus: Characterization of mosquito gene products that inhibit malaria parasite development and molecular/biochemical analysis of parasite damage Analysis of expression, signaling, and regulation of anti-parasite genes in Anopheles mosquitoes Molecular and functional analyses of immune factors that are conserved between mosquitoes and their mammalian hosts. Web site

	Sergey V. Nuzhdin Professor, Section of Evolution and Ecology College of Biological Sciences University of California, Davis Expertise: Quantitative and population genetics, genomics Research focus: Evolutionary genetics of Drosophila, yeast, and mosquito Web site

	Alexander S. Raikhel Professor, Department of Entomology Director, Center for Disease-Vector Research University of California, Riverside Expertise: Molecular biology of insect disease vectors Research focus: Molecular mechanisms linking blood feeding with egg maturation Mosquito immunity; reverse-genetics approach utilizing a transgenic technique Web site

	William K. Reisen Research entomologist and adjunct professor Director, Arbovirus Field Station, Center for Vector-Borne Disease Research, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine University of California, Davis Expertise: Mosquito ecology Research focus: Population ecology of mosquitoes and their vertebrate hosts in relation to the epidemiology, surveillance and control of mosquito-borne pathogens Ecology of mosquitoes and the pathogens they transmit Web site

	Thomas W. Scott Professor, Department of Entomology University of California, Davis Expertise: Ecology, epidemiology, and prevention of mosquito-borne diseases Research focus: Mosquito ecology Epidemiology of vector-borne disease Vector control strategies for disease prevention Web site Mosquito Research Laboratory

	Charles E. Taylor Professor, Department of Entomology University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Expertise: Malaria and Anopheles gambiae Research focus: Population structure of Anopheles gambiae and closely related species in Africa Population genomics of Anopheles gambiae Web site

	Christopher J. Voight Executive director Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California Expertise: Surveillance, public education and mosquito control Designing, setting up and manage large mosquito control programs. Web site

	William E. Walton Professor, Department of Entomology University of California, Riverside Expertise: Biology, ecology and integrated pest management of mosquitoes Research focus: Ecology and control of insect vectors of human disease, with an emphasis on the integrated management of mosquitoes inhabiting man-made and natural wetlands and irrigated agriculture Web site

	Guiyun Yan Associate professor, Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences University of California, Irvine Expertise: Mosquito population ecology and genetics, malaria epidemiology Research focus: Ecology of African highland malaria Population ecology and genetics of African malaria vectors Genetics of mosquito refractoriness to malaria parasites Evolutionary genetics of host resistance to parasitism Web site