Shared biology, shared benefits: leveraging conserved signaling in mosquitoes and ticks to identify unique targets for multi-pathogen transmission blocking

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. received a $2.7 million Cooperative Agreement from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (CFDA 12.750 – Uniformed Services University Medical Research Projects) effective September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2029. This award supports research into "Shared Biology, Shared Benefits: Leveraging Conserved Signaling in Mosquitoes and Ticks to Identify Unique Targets for Multi-Pathogen Transmission Blocking," which aims to identify novel biological targets that could block pathogen transmission across multiple disease vectors. This research advances the Department of Defense's infectious disease countermeasures capabilities by exploiting conserved signaling pathways shared between mosquitoes and ticks—two primary vectors for military-relevant pathogens.

The research program includes a sub-award to the Regents of the University of Idaho (University of Idaho) to assess histamine- and serotonin-dependent Notch and Wnt signaling control in Anopheles stephensi mosquito biology and to evaluate how Notch and Wnt signaling regulation affects Plasmodium yoelii infection and parasite transmission to this vector species. The collaborative research structure leverages the Jackson Foundation's military medical research infrastructure with the University of Idaho's life sciences and vector biology expertise to generate foundational knowledge applicable to multi-pathogen transmission blocking strategies of relevance to military force health protection.