“Light is the primary regulator of circadian rhythms and evokes a wide range of time-of-day specific behaviors,” Holmes said. “By gaining an understanding of how insects respond to short wavelength light, we can develop new, environmentally friendly alternatives to controlling harmful bugs, such as mosquitoes, reducing the need for toxic pesticides.” 

Current insect control devices use ultraviolet light to attract insects to an electric grid or trap.  In contrast to toxic insecticides, which cause considerable health and environmental harm, light-based insect control is very appealing due to safety and very low environmental impact.

“The design of current insect control lights is based on outdated assumptions about how insects detect light,” Holmes said. “Recently, we discovered two additional short wavelength light phototransduction neuronal mechanisms in insects. Through this grant, we will leverage our discoveries with a goal to design new parameters for light-based insect control devices, improving their effectiveness and efficiency in the field.”

This new research builds on Holmes’ previous studies published over the past few years in Science, Nature and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

So far all of the discovery science has been conducted in Drosophila fruit flies, the most useful insect model organism for laboratory molecular genetics.  Holmes credits the development of CRISPR gene editing as the technology that will enable him to conduct rigorous molecular genetic science on mosquitoes.

“We discovered the novel Cryptochrome-based phototransduction mechanism in Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies shortly after I arrived at UCI in 2007.  My goal is to apply these findings to improve human health,” said Holmes.  “I’m targeting mosquitoes, as they are a leading transmitter of many viruses including the Chikungunya virus, which has made its way into the U.S. in recent years.  I feel it’s my responsibility to do something about this as an NIH-funded investigator.” 

In the past 10 to 15 years, cases of vector-borne diseases (those spread by mosquitos and other bloodsucking insects) including West Nile virus, Zika virus, Chikungunya virus and dengue fever, have grown explosively in the Western hemisphere and the United States, causing more than 700,000 deaths annually and accounting for more than 17 percent of all infectious disease worldwide.

 

For more information, contact:
Anne Warde
UCI School of Medicine
949-824-7922
awarde@uci.edu

 

About the School of Medicine

Each year, the UCI School of Medicine educates more than 400 medical students, as well as 200 doctoral and master's students. More than 600 residents and fellows are trained at UC Irvine Medical Center and affiliated institutions. The School of Medicine offers an MD degree, a dual MD/PhD medical scientist training program, PhDs and master’s degrees in anatomy and neurobiology, biomedical sciences, genetic counseling, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, pathology, pharmacology, physiology and biophysics, and translational sciences. Medical students also may pursue an MD/MBA program, a combined MD/Master's in Public Health or a dual MD/master’s program called the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC). The School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Accreditation (LCME), and is ranked by US News & World Report among the top 50 U.S. medical schools for research. To learn more about the School of Medicvine, visit som.uci.edu.

About the University of California, Irvine

Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, the university has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. UCI is located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities, and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. To learn more about UCI, visit www.uci.edu.