Current Work

My research combines laboratory, insectary, and field-based experiments to develop and test novel malaria vector control and surveillance tools. My group is currently researching ivermectin as an endectocide for malaria vector control through mass drug administration campaigns in East and Southern Africa. In addition, we are also investigating the prevalence of Microsporidia MB infection in wild malaria vector populations of Kenya and their associated microbiota of as part of the ANTIVEC Network. My group is also furthering the use of MALDI-TOF MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight) as a high-throughput and low-cost/per sample method for determining entomological traits of epidemiological importance. 3. Your main research outputs/major highlights: BOHEMIA consortium - http://www.bohemiaconsortium.org ANTIVEC - https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/antivec/ ORCID link: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3302-5610 4. Other scientific achievements e.g. teaching, technical working groups, advisory committees, journal editor or reviewer etc Teaching  Vector Control Session, Masters in International Health and Tropical, University of Oxford.  Primer in Systematic Reviews of Interventional studies Advisory Committees  Invited member of the WellcomeTrust International Interview Committee  Expert Committee Member of Malaria Elimination Research Alliance (MERA)-India Journal editor  Editor for Scientific Reports  Associate Editor for Frontiers in Tropical Medicine  Associate Editor for Parasites & Vectors 5. Members of your research group – Postdocs, PhD & MSc students and 2 to 3 sentence descriptions of their projects, AROs, ROs, lab techs— Caroline Wanjiku, Post-doc: Caroline is a molecular entomologist, she oversees the groups laboratory activities and provides student supervision. Caroline is a medical entomologist with excellent molecular skills, experience in GCMS and research on odours and mosquito olfactory response. Jonathan Karisa, PhD student: Jonathan is a PhD candidate registered with the Open University UK, he is developing MALDI-TOF MS as a platform for measuring entomological traits of epidemiological importance including species, blood meal source, infection status and age. Yvonne Kamau, ARO/MSc student: Yvonne is coordinating a clinical trial comparing the pharmacokinetics of different doses of ivermectin for malaria vector control. She is registered for an MSc in Public Health at the University of Nairobi. Kelly Ominde, ARO: Kelly supports the research team in the lab and in the insectary and has been instrumental in the development of an assay for monitoring ivermectin bio-efficacy in the field. He is also involved in PK/PD trial laboratory as the lab-based ARO. Martha Muturi, Insectary lab manager: Martha manages the KWTRP insectary where she rears Anopheles gambiae s.s. (Kilifi strain) which are used for the various insectary-based experiments. She supports experiments and helps train students on insectary related duties.