January 25, 2024
Molly Duman Scheel to present Division of Biology Seminar
Submitted by Division of Biology
Molly Duman Scheel, Navari Family professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, will present "RNAi-based Mosquito Control Programs: A Journey from the Bench to the Field" as part of the Division of Biology Seminar Series at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, in 221 Ackert Hall.
Presentation abstract: Despite the devastating impact of vector mosquitoes on human society, we know very little about mosquito development. When I set up our lab on the campus of Notre Dame more than 15 years ago, I hoped to use my training as a comparative arthropod developmental geneticist at the University of Chicago to address this gap in our knowledge of mosquito biology. These efforts began with the use of siRNA-mediated gene silencing to study development of the mosquito nervous system. In recent years, our large-scale effort to apply RNA interference to mosquito control resulted in development of yeast interfering RNA larvicides that target multiple species of disease vector mosquitoes. This discovery led to a journey from the bench to the field that has involved a collaborative effort among molecular geneticists, entomologists, field biologists, Ministry of Health employees, bioengineers, ethicists, social scientists, as well as business and technology transfer experts. In recent years, we have extended our yeast RNAi pesticide research to adult mosquitoes, which can consume the yeast as an active ingredient in attractive targeted sugar baits, a new paradigm for vector mosquito control. My lab has also identified female-specific larvicides that can support male sex-sorting to facilitate population-based mosquito control efforts, including the sterile insect technique. We are now hoping to extend yeast RNAi pesticide technology for the control of insect crop and urban pests.
If you would like to visit with Duman Scheel, please contact Kristin Michel at kmichel@k-state.edu. This seminar is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research through the GRIP Program.