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Our Lab’s focus
Anopheles Innate Immunity
Vector-Pathogen Interactions
Malaria Transmission
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
Simões Laboratory
Who we are
The Simões Laboratory comprises an international team of scientists studying Anopheles mosquitoes, the insect vectors of Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria.
Malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people and causes millions of cases globally every year, creating serious public health and economic burden.
The current control methods to tackle this devastating disease are insufficient and numbers have been rising during the last years.
Climate change is anticipated to cause a severe impact on malaria and other vector-borne diseases.
Novel strategies for malaria control are badly needed.
What we do
Mosquitoes have an efficient innate immune system that combats infection with malaria parasites and other pathogens.
Research in the Simões Laboratory centers on understanding how biotic and abiotic stressors shape the Anopheles innate immune responses, with consequences for vector competence and malaria transmission.
We address the impact of natural environmental fluctuations and climate change on Anopheles gene and protein expression, fundamental biological functions, and life-history traits.
We aim to identify key genes involved in mosquito-pathogen interactions, and specific regulators of mosquito anti-pathogen defense that are sensitive to environmental variability.
Our long-term goal is to reveal novel transmission-blocking targets that will be used in the development of vector-based genetic technologies for malaria control within climate change.
Latest news
Plasmodium falciparum oocysts (photo by ML Simões)
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