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Research Interests
With the recent transformation of Anopheles mosquitoes we may be able to use genetically altered insects to block malaria transmission. If such insects are released they will interbreed with the wild populations, which are often resistant to insecticide as a result of operational control measures. I have previously shown, using Culex and filariasis as a model system, that there is a direct link between insecticide resistance and vector competence. I have been awarded a Special Leverhulme Fellowship to extend this study to Anopheles and malaria where preliminary field data suggests that the two characteristics are also interdependent. Genes differentially expressed in resistant mosquito strains in response to parasite infection will be identified. The results will impact directly on current and future malaria control.
Head louse infection represents a significant and growing public health problem worldwide. Infection is managed primarily using topical insecticide formulations. However, resistance to these chemicals has emerged in several countries. Since 2000, guidelines for the management of head louse infection in Wales have recommended a 'mosaic' treatment strategy tailored to local resistance patterns, but for most areas of Wales no information exists on the prevalence of insecticide resistance. The focus of our work, together with the National Public Health Service for Wales, has been in Welsh primary schools where we recently carried out the largest survey of insecticide resistance in head lice in the world. These data will be used as a baseline for future surveillance and will enable more effective head louse management strategies to be implemented.
Biography
Nov 1997-Oct 2001 University of Cardiff, Wales, UK. Postdoctoral Researcher
Nov 2001-present Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK. Leverhulme Special Research Fellow
Education
1993-1997 Oxford Brookes University
PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology
1990-1993 Oxford Brookes University
BSc (Hons) 2(i) in Human Biology
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