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UMD entomologists recognized by AAAS with 2019 Newcomb Cleveland Prize

The American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded its 2019 Newcomb Cleveland Prize to University of Maryland entomologists Raymond St. Leger, Brian Lovett and their seven West African collaborators.

24 Jan 2020

Researchers win 2019 AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize for malaria-fighting technology

A team of nine researchers based in the United States and Burkina Faso will receive the 2019 Newcomb Cleveland Prize, presented by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, for the development of a promising tool in the global fight against malaria and other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, including dengue and Zika.

24 Jan 2020

Routine Zika vaccination could help prevent suffering and save money

Global climate change has raised concerns that mosquito-borne diseases could become increasingly prevalent in the United States as warmer temperatures lead to increased mosquito activity.

23 Jan 2020

Study explains equal attraction of mosquitoes to flowers and humans

A new study published online on December 23 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports the discovery of the basis on which mosquitoes are drawn towards a type of orchid of which they are inordinately fond, resulting in its pollination.

22 Jan 2020

Discovery of mechanism by which Zika virus enters brain cells

Two independent studies published by Cell Press on January 16, 2020, report that the mechanism by which Zika virus enters brain cells has been identified and even more, exploited to prevent Zika infection and to kill cancer cells instead.

16 Jan 2020

Genetically engineered mosquitoes halt Dengue spread

A new study published in the journal PLOS Pathogens in January 2020 reports the development of mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to resist infection by several types of the dengue virus. This is the first time ever that all types of the virus have been targeted by the engineering of the mosquito DNA. Covering all virus types is essential to achieve proper disease control.

16 Jan 2020

Molecular-level understanding of drug interactions could pave way for better malaria treatments

The process of crystallization is central to drug development, petrochemical processing and other industrial actions, but scientists say they still are learning about the complex interactions involved in the building and dissolution of crystals.

16 Jan 2020

The International Consortium Claims Medical Breakthrough in Malaria Research

An international consortium led by researchers in Sweden and Switzerland has conducted a genome-wide study that the team is calling a “medical breakthrough” in malaria research.

13 Jan 2020

Researchers use single cell genome sequencing to study malaria transmission

New technology employing single cell genome sequencing of the parasite that causes malaria has yielded some surprising results and helps pave the way for possible new intervention strategies for this deadly infectious disease, according to Texas Biomedical Research Institute Assistant Professor Ian Cheeseman, Ph.D. Dr. Cheeseman was Principal Investigator of a three-year study published in the January 2020 edition of Cell Host & Microbe, a high-impact peer-reviewed publication.

8 Jan 2020

Researchers offer new perspective on pyrethroid insecticides

In an invited Commentary just published in JAMA Internal Medicine, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health professors Drs. Steven Stellman and Jeanne Mager Stellman offer their perspective on results from a recent study on Pyrethroid, among the most widely used insecticides in the world for public health control of vector-borne illnesses, including West Nile virus.

3 Jan 2020

Scientists identify molecules capable of inhibiting DNA methylation, effectively killing malaria parasites

Parasites in the genus Plasmodium, which cause malaria, are transmitted to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes.

31 Dec 2019

Researchers identify new insecticide resistance mechanism by mosquitoes

Researchers at LSTM have identified a completely new mechanism by which mosquitoes that carry malaria are becoming resistant to insecticide.

26 Dec 2019

CD4 T cells are not to be blamed for pushing dengue fever from bad to worse

No one knows what makes a mild dengue viral infection morph into a severe and sometimes deadly dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome.

26 Dec 2019

Scientists unveil how Zika virus replicates

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Zika virus infection a global threat during the peak of its outbreak in 2016. Since then, scientists and health experts raced to understand the virus better to develop novel and effective vaccines and treatments for the disease. Now, a team of researchers in China revealed how a protein in the virus reshapes its host to boost viral replication.

23 Dec 2019

Australian researchers find new drug target for preventing the spread of malaria

Australian researchers have found a new drug target for stopping the spread of malaria, after successfully blocking the world's deadliest malaria parasite - Plasmodium falciparum - from completing the 'transmission stage' of its lifecycle.

17 Dec 2019

Researchers block malaria parasite’s ability to spread infection

Researchers have discovered a new way to prevent the deadliest malaria parasite from spreading infection.

17 Dec 2019

Salmonella causes nearly one in three foodborne outbreaks in the EU

Nearly one in three foodborne outbreaks in the EU in 2018 were caused by Salmonella. This is one of the main findings of the annual report on trends and sources of zoonoses published today by the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

14 Dec 2019

Researchers make significant advances in developing novel Zika virus vaccine

Researchers from the University of Adelaide have made significant advances in developing a novel vaccine against Zika virus, which could potentially lead to global elimination of the disease.

14 Dec 2019

Gene drives are faster, more efficient to control mosquitoes that spread malaria

When controlling mosquitoes that spread malaria, gene drives, which force genetic changes to proliferate in a population, are faster and more efficient than simply releasing mosquitoes that are immune to the parasite, according to a new study published December 19th in PLOS Genetics by Anthony James at University of California, Irvine and colleagues.

13 Dec 2019