Project Grant R21AI202136

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, operating under the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded Kansas State University $238,247 on September 1, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to conduct research on larval immunity in the African malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae.

The project identifies molecular interactions that regulate melanization through proteolytic activation of phenoloxidase in An. gambiae larvae, with the long-term goal of defining proteolytic systems that regulate mosquito immunity to predict and manipulate vector-pathogen interactions for malaria prevention. The research pursues three specific aims: determining the roles of newly identified CSP and CSPHS proteins in the melanization network, identifying the molecular environments of these proteins, and building the molecular interaction network that defines melanization. Understanding the protease network controlling melanization in An. gambiae contributes to predicting mosquito fitness outcomes and monitoring efficacy of novel vector control strategies employing microbial agents.

Performance occurs in Kansas through August 31, 2028. This project grant supports fundamental research on mosquito physiology to inform vector population control schemes utilizing gene drive, male sterility, Wolbachia-based methods, and fungal biocontrol agents.