Mosquito, malaria research expands with new lab
Researchers aim to learn more about disease that kills 3 million
5:54 p.m. Thursday, July 3, 2008
Manhattan — With the light of this burner, Kristin Michel aims to spark a cure for millions.
Michele heads an international team of six K-State researchers at the university’s new mosquito lab, where they try to find ways to control parasites like the one that transmits malaria, a disease transferred from mosquito to human.
Nearly 3 million people die from malaria each year, especially children under 5. But through new research labs, like this one at K-State, professionals are allowed to take several steps to providing more cures.
“The most exciting us, uh, how we can help to control the disease transmission, to block the disease transmission,” says Gustavo Martins, a PhD student researcher. “I think our research will contribute for it.”
“That just feels really great because our research will contribute sooner or later to maybe different techniques and vaccines to eradicate the disease,” says Daniela Deubner, another PhD student researcher. She’s conducting her research with another lab in Germany through a collaborative research program with K-State.
The team breeds more than 10,000 mosquitoes a week, with an additional 2,000 that are malaria-infected; but this strain of malaria is not contagious to humans. However, they plan to get a strain that can infect humans.
In less than a year, they have already found breakthroughs including the discovery of new molecules that contribute to the survival of parasites in mosquitoes: an essential step toward a cure.
Michel says in her 10 years of research, work in the lab is important, but one other experience is most rewarding.
“One of the most rewarding and actually humbling experiences I had was that I took some of my laboratory results to the field and was able to test them there,” Michel says. “And it’s something completely different than be sitting here and talking about malaria or being in the country that where this disease actually takes its toll every day.”
New insectary lab built, running at K-State
Researchers in a new insectary at Burt Hall breed more than 10,000 mosquitoes a week. They also breed up to 2,000 malaria-infected mosquitoes a week.
K-State spent nearly $500,000 in renovations, where six rooms are dedicated to their studies.
Specific rooms are used to breed mosquitoes as well as to dissect their tiny little bodies.
But this six-member team has made substantial breakthroughs.
“Looking through the microscope a few months ago and actually seeing parasites within the mosquito and being able to reproduce obviously what other researchers around the world are doing, um, was a very good step cause basically it means we can do this research now,” says Kristin Michel, head malaria researcher at the K-State lab.
The team of researchers has produced two studies since the research lab opened. They believe their biggest breakthrough is finding new molecules that allow parasites to survive in the mosquito.
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