Malaria, Vector-borne Disease Grants
May 17, 2023
Researchers from University of Idaho (U of I) and University of Arizona (U of A) have received a four-year, $2.7 million grant through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to further their prior research on how to block transmission of the malaria parasite by mosquitoes.
In the realm of training, the U of I Institute for Health in the Human Ecosystem (IHHE) also recently received a separate five-year, $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Division of Experimental Biology, Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (NSF DEB EEID) to support scholarships for their annual six-day course on the biology of vector-borne diseases.
The new NIH research grant was awarded to Shirley Luckhart, a professor in U of I’s Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology and the Department of Biological Sciences, and Mike Riehle, an entomology professor with U of A, for their work on a biochemical pathway in mosquitoes that could lead to the development of an important new tool in the global effort to control malaria.
Luckhart and Riehle have collaborated for more than 18 years, seeking to understand the biochemical mechanisms of mosquito resistance to infection by malaria parasites, which are single-cell protozoa. April 25 is World Malaria Day, recognizing the importance of combating a disease that claimed 619,000 lives in 2021, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with 95% of all malaria cases in the WHO African Region.
Luckhart and Riehle and their research teams previously created a genetically modified strain of mosquito that resisted malaria parasite development. Their screening of this genetically modified mosquito pinpointed an over-activated biochemical pathway that proved to be the mediator of resistance to the malaria parasite.
Based on their analysis of the pathway, they identified drugs developed by St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital for treatment of a rare genetic condition, which when administered orally to mosquitoes depletes their pool of an essential nutrient, vitamin B5. The drug activates the conversion of vitamin B5 in mosquitoes into another compound, coenzyme A, thereby starving the malaria parasite.
Luckhart envisions administering the medication to mosquitoes via bait stations in regions where malaria is prevalent. The bait stations would be part of a multipronged approach also involving insecticidal treatments and use of recently developed malaria vaccines, which confer between 30-40% and perhaps up to 75% protection. Mosquitoes have already developed resistance to many insecticides so having other tools available to combat the disease is critical.
“This type of strategy can complement other existing approaches — new drugs, new insecticides, new vaccines, etc. — to eliminate and ultimately eradicate malaria,” Luckhart said.
The new NSF DEB EEID training grant was awarded to Luckhart and Edwin Lewis, who is also a professor in U of I’s Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology. Luckhart and Lewis are co-directors of the U of I IHHE, a campuswide institute that supports research, training and mentoring in the complex factors from the cellular to the ecosystem scale that impact plant, animal and human health.
Their six-day course is taught each June at the Moscow campus to train graduate students, faculty, health practitioners, government workers and policymakers to “concurrently and holistically address plant, animal and human vector-borne diseases as interconnected health challenges.”
More than 200 interested trainees from throughout the world have already applied for 40-50 open spots available for this year’s course.
“Despite growing recognition that these diseases are connected across biological and ecological scales, we face substantial intellectual and logistical obstacles in effecting these changes,” Lewis said. “Viruses that infect plants are not all that different from those that infect humans, but the scientific communities that work on these pathogens seldom, if ever, interact.”
The grant will support 10 international trainees and four domestic trainees per year. The support covers the $2,000 course fee, which includes housing, meals and course materials. There is additional support for travel, with $2,000 available for international trainees and $500 available for domestic trainees.
The project “How to Starve a Parasite: Manipulating CoA Biosynthesis to Control Plasmodium Development in the Mosquito” was funded with a four-year, $2.7 million grant under award No. R01 AI170506.
The training course “University of Idaho Institute for Health in the Human Ecosystem Biology of Vector-borne Diseases Course” was funded with a five-year, $250,000 grant under award No. DEB-2316443.
About the University of Idaho
The University of Idaho, home of the Vandals, is Idaho’s land-grant, national research university. From its residential campus in Moscow, U of I serves the state of Idaho through educational centers in Boise, Coeur d’Alene and Idaho Falls, nine research and Extension centers, plus Extension offices in 42 counties. Home to nearly 11,000 students statewide, U of I is a leader in student-centered learning and excels at interdisciplinary research, service to businesses and communities, and in advancing diversity, citizenship and global outreach. U of I competes in the Big Sky and Western Athletic conferences. Learn more at uidaho.edu.