Publications

A new study from our lab and collaborators, published in Malaria Journal, examines the breeding ecology of Anopheles coluzzii, the primary malaria vector on São Tomé. Monitoring 32 aquatic habitats in Bairro Verde across wet and dry seasons (2023–2024), the team found that this species utilizes a wide range of temporary and permanent water bodies and tolerates diverse environmental conditions.

We’re excited to share a new publication from our team in the Journal of Medical Entomology:
Read the paper

We are pleased to share that our paper, “Host preference and resting behavior of Anopheles coluzzii (Diptera: Culicidae) on the island of São Tomé, West Africa,” has been published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

We are pleased to announce the publication of Maria Corrêa's paper, “Aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity in mosquito larval habitats in São Tomé and Príncipe,” in PLOS ONE. This study provides the first detailed characterization of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in mosquito larval habitats on São Tomé and Príncipe, documenting diverse taxa and habitat-specific patterns that are important for understanding ecosystem structure and potential interactions with disease vectors.

We are excited to share that our paper, “Genetics of range expansion and admixture of Aedes aegypti populations in California,” has been published in BMC Genomics.

The study uses whole-genome data to examine the population structure, range expansion, and admixture of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes across California, providing new insights into how this important disease vector has spread since its introduction to the state.

Congratulations to all of the authors on this publication!

A new study from our lab and collaborators, published in Parasites & Vectors, evaluates potential ecological effects of genetically engineered Anopheles coluzzii mosquitoes on predator species. As gene drive mosquitoes are being developed for malaria control, understanding their interactions with non-target organisms is critical for environmental risk assessment.

A perspectives piece titled "Is Gene Drive Research Losing Traction?" by Dr. Lanzaro and Ana Kormos was published in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 

Congratulations to Dr. Melina Campos, Marc Crepeau and Dr. Greg Lanzao on the publication of their long awaited G3 paper! You can read the paper here: Defining the genetics of the widely used G3 strain of the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae.

The first VGL paper of 2025 has been published in Landscape Ecology. Congratulations to all authors. Read the paper here: Larval habitat suitability and landscape genetics of the mosquito Anopheles coluzzii on São Tomé and Príncipe islands

The UCMI team has published a paper in Malaria Journal. Read it here: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-024-05212-6 
Congratulations to all the authors!

VGL Project Scientist, Melina Campos, has been published in Evolutionary Applications. Read her paper here: Patterns of Gene Flow in Anopheles coluzzii Populations From Two African Oceanic Islands. Congratulations to all authors.

Other recent VGL-related publications are below.

A UCMI paper titled "Practical Application of a Relationship-Based Model to Engagement for Gene-Drive Vector Control Programs" has been published online at AJTMH (ahead of print).  This paper details the engagement work in São Tomé and Príncipe over the last 5 years and describes how we applied the Relationship-Based Model (RBM) to the UCMI program. 

A UCMI risk assessment paper was published in Frontiers today. This paper describes the preliminary independent risk assessment that we participated in in 2020 to evaluate our GEM. Congrats to all authors.

Read the paper here.

Check out former lab member, Shaghayegh’s, paper about Aedes aegypti populations in California. Congratulations to Shaghayegh and coauthors! https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-023-09402-5

Dr. Iliyas Rashid’s paper “Spontaneous mutation rate estimates for the principal malaria vectors Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles stephensi” has been published online in Scientific Reports. Read it here.