Author Archives: mjscott3

Our manuscript showing that the no blokes gene is essential for male viability and X chromosome gene expression in the Australian sheep blowfly has been published in Current Biology. The paper can be freely accessed for the next month using … Continue reading →

At a conference in Raleigh in February 2016, we presented a paper on the potential of Cas9-mediated gene drive systems for control of agricultural insect pests. At the meeting a draft manuscript was made available to attendees that described in … Continue reading →

Our review of research advances over the past 25 years on the New World screwworm has been recently published in Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 

Insect sexing strains that produce only males under certain conditions are highly advantageous for genetic control programs. If larval diet is a major cost for a mass rearing factory it is desirable if female insects die at early stages of development. … Continue reading →

Dr. Melina Florez-Cuadros recently joined the lab from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she studied the effects of temperature and diet in stable fly’s development. Melina is supported by the Dean’s Diversity Postdoctoral Fellowship from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at … Continue reading →

Dr Kara Bolz recently joined the lab from UNC-Chapel Hill. Kara has studied epigenetic mechanisms in Arabidopsis and Drosophila and brings a wealth of experience in molecular genetics to the lab. Kara is supported by the BRAG grant to investigate … Continue reading →

Dr. Bill Reid recently joined the lab from USDA-ARS, Gainesville where investigated   promoters and tissue-specific genes in Ae. aegypti . For his doctoral studies at Auburn U., Bill took a functional genomics approach to study insecticide resistance in housefly … Continue reading →

Our application for funding to develop transgenic strains of Lucilia sericata that are engineered to produce and secrete factors to promote wound healing has been funded by DARPA, starting 1 January. The grant will be used to support Dr Rebecca … Continue reading →

Our paper on the development and evaluation of transgenic strains of the New World screwworm that carry a conditional female lethal gene has been published in BMC Biology. Over a 50 year period, the SIT was used to eradicate screwworm from … Continue reading →

Our application to develop and evaluate conditional split Cas9-mediated gene drive systems in spotted wing Drosophila and New World screwworm has been funded by NIFA’s Biotechnology Risk Assessment Grants Program. The funding will likely be used to support a postdoctoral fellow