A Plant-Based Meal for Rearing of Medically Important Mosquitos
Tulane researchers have developed a plant-based meal for rearing mosquitoes to serve as a direct replacement for blood feeding laboratory mosquito colonies.
The Problem
As the climate changes, warmer temperatures are accelerating mosquito development, biting rates, and the incubation of diseases within mosquitoes, along with an expansion of their geographical range. Each year, Mosquito borne diseases kill over 1 million people and infect up to 700 million people. As such, there are a number of mosquito research programs around the world working to address these issues and find better solutions to mosquito management. Additionally, genetically modified and parasite-infected mosquitos are being explored as a viable control method. Female mosquitoes reared in labs typically need protein-rich blood meals to achieve egg development. Often, live animals, such as mice, guinea pigs, or humans are used as blood source, which come with a host of ethical concerns and complex requirements for storing and maintaining the blood meal.
The Solution
Tulane researchers have developed a plant-based meal for rearing mosquitoes to serve as a direct replacement for blood feeding laboratory mosquito colonies. This invention is unique in that it contains absolutely no animal products, as well as no recombinant or bio-engineered ingredients. As it is a plant-based powder that can be kept at room temperature, there are no biological safety concerns surrounding importing/exporting, shipping, storage, handling, or disposal. The product is reconstituted with water prior to feeding. At scale, production of the meal is expected be cost-equivalent or cheaper than commercially available animal blood. As the meal has no animal products, lot-to-lot variability is expected to be minimal. Finally, it will eliminate concerns about animal care and use by removing animals from the equation entirely. An observational study has been performed that demonstrated this plant-based feed can be used to produce females with viable eggs.
The Opportunity
At scale, production of the meal is expected be cost-equivalent or cheaper than commercially available animal blood. As the meal has no animal products, lot-to-lot variability is expected to be minimal. Finally, it will eliminate concerns about animal care and use by removing animals from the equation entirely. An observational study has been performed that demonstrated this plant-based feed can be used to produce females with viable eggs.
