Kennesaw State University researcher Andrew Haddow has received a three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) worth $517,956 to study the effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or "forever chemicals," on mosquitoes.
Haddow, an assistant professor of microbiology in the College of Science and Mathematics, is the second KSU researcher to receive a grant from the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) this year, joining associate professor of biology Soon Goo Lee.
PFAS are widespread environmental contaminants that can occur in aquatic habitats where mosquitoes develop. The project will explore how exposure to these compounds affects mosquito fitness and whether it influences the ability of medically important species to transmit viruses such as Zika, West Nile, and La Crosse viruses.
The study will also provide opportunities for KSU students, both undergraduates and graduates in KSU's Master of Science of Integrative Biology program, to conduct research contributing to discovery.
Haddow joined KSU's faculty in 2021 after serving as a senior scientist for General Dynamics based at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). He has studied the effects of environmental changes on arboviruses for nearly two decades.
The NIH grant is No. 1R15AI194160-01A1.
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