Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PiQiMosqBite (Understanding the roles of pathogen infection and sensory cue integration in mosquito blood-feeding behavior)
Berichtszeitraum: 2019-10-01 bis 2021-09-30
PiQiMosqBite addressed this challenge by leveraging quantitative imaging, computer vision, and an engineered human skin mimic to create the 'biteOscope' — a high-throughput assay to characterize blood feeding behavior. The biteOscope enables the detailed characterization of the behavioral trajectory leading to blood feeding. Using the biteOscope, PiQiMosqBite unraveled the mode of action of a common insect repellent, and investigated how mosquitoes detect blood. A separate line of inquiry serves as the basis to use the biteOscope as a tool to characterize the impact of pathogen infections on blood feeding behavior.
The tools developed in PiQiMosqBite were shared open access and quickly gained traction in the mosquito research community. In addition to the scientific insights gained in PiQiMosqBite, the open access availability of these tools holds the potential to drive mosquito research forward.