Project description
Plant sugars for antipathogenic vector control
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) cause severe health problems, especially in tropical areas. Climate and land-use change, along with insect adaptability, raise transmission rates. Insecticides are commonly used for control but are often subject to resistance. Mosquitoes and sandflies feed on plant sugars, and some nectars may inhibit pathogens. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MOSAIC project will investigate whether nectar from Aedes aegypti and Phlebotomus argentipes in Nepal can yield antipathogenic leads. It will quantify sugar feeding, identify nectar plants using DNA barcoding, and test extracts against dengue and Leishmania donovani. An open-access Nectar-Antipathogen Database (NAD) will link plant taxonomy and bioactivity, support vector control in resource-limited settings, and align with the WHO’s goals.
Objective
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) such as dengue and leishmaniasis account for millions of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) annually, with the heaviest toll in tropical and subtropical regions. Climate change, land-use change, and insect adaptability are accelerating transmission, while control strategies remain largely insecticide-centred and vulnerable to resistance. A critical but overlooked aspect of insect biology is sugar feeding. Mosquitoes and sand flies depend on plant-derived sugars, and growing evidence shows that certain nectars contain metabolites able to modulate microbiota and block pathogen development. MOSAIC (MOnitoring Sugar-feeding Activity in Insects for bioactive Compound identification) will test whether nectar consumed by Aedes aegypti and Phlebotomus argentipes in Nepal, a biodiversity-rich yet epidemiologically vulnerable setting, can yield antipathogenic leads. The project will: (i) quantify sugar feeding in wild insects; (ii) identify sugar-source plants through multilocus DNA barcoding, and validate visitation under semi-field conditions; and (iii) collect nectar from top-ranked plants, standardize extracts, and assess activity against dengue virus and Leishmania donovani. In parallel, an open-access Nectar-Antipathogen Database (NAD) will combine a PRISMA-guided systematic review with project data, linking plant taxonomy, nectar chemistry, and bioactivity. Cheminformatics will prioritise candidates via structure-activity patterns, guiding assays and reducing costs. Through an integrated ecological, molecular, biochemical, and computational pipeline, MOSAIC will deliver actionable, nature-based evidence to complement vector control, with relevance for resource-limited settings and alignment with WHO’s Global Vector Control Response and planetary health goals.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences databases
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2000 ANTWERPEN
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.