Identification of genomic components that predict transmission of the malaria parasite in different vector species

Background: Malaria is caused by a unicellular parasite that is transmitted by mosquitoes in the genus Anopheles. The goal of my work is to understand how parasites have locally adapted to different Anopheles mosquito species in order to predict global patterns of transmission. Approach: I will address this question in the laboratory by tracking parasites, collected from patients around the world, as they infect geographically diverse mosquito species. Using single-cell genomics and CRISPR to modify the parasite's genome, I will be able to understand how specific variants of the parasite's genetic code determine whether a parasite can be transmitted by some mosquito species but not by others. Impact: My work will provide a global view of the genetic basis of Anopheles species-dependent transmission dynamics. Understanding how local adaptation shapes the malaria parasite is fundamental to public health because treatment or intervention for one parasite strain might be ineffective for another.