How blood chemicals from malaria patients affect mosquitoes and transmission
Official title: Biogenic amines, malaria and manipulation of mosquito physiology and behavior.
Funded at University of Idaho · NIH-11142647 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether changes in blood levels of histamine and serotonin during malaria make mosquitoes more likely to pick up and spread the parasite, which matters for people at risk of malaria.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Idaho NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Moscow, United States) |
| Project start | August 8, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $542,303 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI165481-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11142647 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People recently diagnosed with severe malaria or willing to donate blood samples with measured histamine and serotonin levels would be the most relevant participants for sample collection.
✕Less likely to help
People without malaria or those living far from malaria transmission zones are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers are exploring how two blood chemicals (histamine and serotonin) that change during severe malaria affect mosquito biology and their ability to carry and pass on malaria. They will feed mosquitoes blood containing realistic amounts of these chemicals and then measure parasite infection success, biting behavior, egg laying, survival, and other life-history traits. The work uses the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and a mouse parasite model to compare effects and will probe gut-brain signaling pathways in the mosquito. The goal is to connect clinical blood changes seen in malaria patients to mosquito traits that influence transmission.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to novel ways to reduce malaria transmission by targeting how mosquitoes respond to human blood chemicals.
How similar studies have gone: This is a relatively novel approach linking human blood amine changes to mosquito biology; prior evidence connects amine changes to disease but direct transmission-focused experiments are limited and exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Idaho
Moscow, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Luckhart, Shirley — University of Idaho
- Study coordinator: Luckhart, Shirley
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.