Research team secures major UKRI award to advance next generation mosquito control

A Keele University researcher has secured a major UKRI Engineering Biology Mission Award to accelerate the development of innovative genetic tools aimed at reducing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

The project, delivered in partnership with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and Imperial College London, focuses on translating cutting-edge synthetic biology into practical, safe, and scalable mosquito-control technologies.

The new funding builds on earlier achievements by the consortium, which mapped mosquito reproductive tissues at single-cell resolution and developed early versions of genetic switches that activate CRISPR molecules only in specific biological contexts.

CRISPR molecules allow scientists to target and modify specific DNA sequences within cells to modify the genetic code; for example, modifying mosquito DNA to reduce their ability to reproduce or transmit diseases.

These advances lay the groundwork for more precise and predictable approaches to controlling mosquito populations, and the expanded programme will now scale up testing in live mosquitoes, design new synthetic regulatory elements to fine-tune gene activity, and explore alternative CRISPR systems that could improve accuracy and reduce the risk of resistance.

Dr Roberto Galizi, Principal Investigator at Keele University, said: "This support allows us to turn promising scientific advances into real-world tools. Our aim is to develop mosquito-control technologies that are precise, safe, and ultimately capable of helping communities affected by vector-borne diseases."

The project will recruit additional researchers across partner institutions and begin its expanded phase later this year, strengthening the UK's leadership in responsible genetic-technology innovation.

Professor Tony Nolan, Principal Investigator from LSTM, added: "CRISPR is most powerful when we can control not just what it edits, but where and when that editing takes place. This project will help make genome editing more precise in space and time, opening the door to wider applications in therapy and in the genetic control of mosquito vectors of disease and other insect pests."