Research Project:  Development and implementation of a transformative and sustainable strategy for malaria control in Africa using symbiont-based transmission blocking

Jacqueline is a DRIP PhD Scholar in the Human Health theme supervised by Dr Jeremy Herren (icipe). Her PhD thesis is titled ‘Development and implementation of a transformative and sustainable strategy for malaria control in Africa using symbiont-based transmission blocking.’ The project is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her project seeks to unravel the mechanistic approaches used by Microsporidia MB (an endosymbiont recently discovered in Kenya) in blocking the transmission of Plasmodium. The findings from her project will be crucial in informing the sustainable Microsporidia MB intensities required in blocking Plasmodium transmission, the mechanisms by which Microsporidia MB blocks Plasmodium transmission and will contribute in developing strategies for scaled-up Microsporidia MB mosquito infection in the field, for effective malaria transmission blocking. Jacqueline’s previous trainings are in the fields of MSc. Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics and BSc. Biochemistry.