Last Updated: 11/05/2026
Operational Scale-Up and Novel Wolbachia Strains for Outdoor Malaria Control
Objectives
This project aims to:
- Address the impact of glutathione/dsRNA on enhancing symbiosis stability through immune-metabolic reprogramming in Anopheles mosquito;
- Optimize the 20-hydroxyecdysone/RNAi-integrated automated sex sorting system to improve Anopheles production and performance;
- Develop a low-temperature transportation and multi-level release system suitable for Anopheles mosquitoes; and
- Evaluate the efficacy of novel Wolbachia-transfected Anopheles arabiensis in blocking Plasmodium transmission.
Current malaria control strategies have critical limitations in managing outdoor-biting Anopheles mosquitoes, highlighting an urgent need for innovative approaches to enable sustainable outdoor interventions that block Plasmodium transmission. Our team has established the first stable Wolbachia-Anopheles stephensi symbiotic line exhibiting both cytoplasmic incompatibility and anti-Plasmodium properties (published in Science), and has made significant progresses in mosquito sex separation technology and the field application of novel Wolbachia-based mosquito control technology (published in Nature). To transform this symbiotic Anopheles mosquito into an effective tool for outdoor malaria control, our team focuses on the key bottlenecks in large-scale application: symbiont stability and post-release mosquito fitness including the mating competitiveness, flight capacity, and lifespan, which impact the intervention efficacy; sex separation technology restricts sterile male production capacity; and the absence of targeted strategies for the key outdoor vector Anopheles arabiensis. Collectively, these efforts will establish the first Wolbachia-based field-deployable technological system targeting outdoor malaria vectors, providing core support for its transformation and achievement of outdoor malaria vector control goals.
Jan 2026 — Dec 2028
$400,000
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