The research project of Prof. Gabrieli aims at developing a novel eco-friendly technique to control mosquito populations. This technique is based on the modification of the mosquito reproduction.
Only female mosquitoes transmit viruses and pathogens because they need our blood to develop eggs and to reproduce. Males, however, do not bite; the unique goal in their life is to find females and mate with them. And they are extremely efficient at this. The idea of the TOXMOS project is to use males to find females and kill them.
Exploiting male sex to control females makes this technology and similar technologies extremely specific, with no impact on non-target species, such as bees. To date, mosquitoes are mostly controlled using insecticides, which are not only non-specific and harmful to the environment and to humans, but they are also losing their effectiveness. Therefore, it is necessary to develop methods that are environmental-friendly, but that have an effectiveness and speed of action comparable to insecticides.
The research project studies the tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, which is an invasive species and whose presence has led to the indigenous transmission in Italy and other European countries, such as in France, of some viruses such as dengue and Chikungunya. The control of this mosquito species is therefore important, if not vital to reduce the risk of transmission of new and dangerous diseases. We must do it effectively and safely, for us as humans and for the environment.
Institutions involved: UNIMI
PROJECT INVESTIGATOR(S):
Paolo Gabrieli is professor of Zoology at the Department of Biosciences at the University of Milan. Since his undergraduate studies in biology, his primary research focus has been on the biology of insects that transmit human and animal diseases, particularly mosquitoes, with the ultimate goal of developing new control systems for these insects or the diseases they transmit.
His training and research path have taken place at various Italian universities (University of Pavia, Perugia, and Milan) and foreign universities (Imperial College London, UK, and Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, USA).
The Armenise-Harvard INF-ACT Mid-Career Award allows me to strengthen the research group and implement the scientific approaches I have envisioned to design new strategies for controlling mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit. It is also vital for collecting new data and seeking additional funding to achieve these goals.
AH-INF MCA projects are the result of a partnership between INF-ACT Foundation and The Giovanni Armenise-Harvard Foundation. Both Foundations share the common goal to support a category of basic scientists, i.e. the Mid-Career researchers, who are currently insufficiently supported, with the common objective to set a new trend and inspire other foundations, private and public institutional donors to help with this critical need.
INF-ACT is a Participated Foundation (Fondazione di Partecipazione)
Codice Fiscale 96084470184 - Partiva IVA 02894510185
Address: Corso Strada Nuova, 65 - 27100 Pavia (Italy)
Contact e-mail: management@inf-act.it - PEC: inf-act@pec.it
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The INF-ACT Foundation is the Hub of the a project funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3 - Call for tender No. 341 of 15 March 2022 of Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU; Project code PE00000007, Concession Decree No. 1554 of 11 October 2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, Project title "TOXMOS: TOXic males for MOSquito Control".
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