Vector-Pathogen Interactions: From Vector Biology to Innovative Control Strategies (K2)
February 1-4, 2027
| Crowne Plaza Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Doug E. Brackney, Flaminia Catteruccia, Utpal Pal and Sarah Merkling
Scholarship Deadline: Oct. 8, 2026 | Abstract Deadline: Jan. 13, 2027 | Early Registration Deadline: Dec. 4, 2026
| 4:00–8:00 PM |
Registration |
|
| 6:00–8:00 PM |
Welcome Mixer |
|
Tuesday, February 2, 2027
| 8:00–8:30 AM |
Poster Setup |
|
| 8:15–5:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
|
| 8:30–8:40 AM |
Welcome Remarks |
|
| 8:40–9:30 AM |
Keynote Address |
|
| |
Erol Fikrig, Yale University School of Medicine
Elucidating Vector-Microbe-Host Interactions using High-Throughput Exoproteome Screens |
|
| 9:30–11:45 AM |
Mechanistic Insights into Vector Immunity |
|
| |
Ryan C. Smith, Iowa State University
Mosquito Hemocytes: Double-Edged Swords in Pathogen Control |
|
| |
Shirley Luckhart, University of Idaho
Mosquito Metabolic Regulation of Malaria Parasite Development |
|
| |
Utpal Pal, University of Maryland
Host Signals Promote Tick Immunity and Development |
|
| |
Roenick P Olmo †, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire - IBMC
Short Talk: Complex I Activity Determines Early Resistance to Dengue Virus Infection in the Mosquito Midgut |
|
| 10:00–10:20 AM |
Coffee Break |
|
| 11:55–12:55 PM |
Workshop: Visual Experimentation |
|
| 1:00–2:30 PM |
Poster Session 1 |
|
| 2:30–4:30 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 1: Vector Determinants of Pathogen Infection |
|
| |
Anya J O'Neal †, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Short Talk: Blood-Induced Hemocytes Manage Oxidative Stress and Facilitate Bacterial Colonization in the Blacklegged Tick Ixodes Scapularis |
|
| |
Thomas Vial †, Institut Pasteur
Short Talk: Cellular and Metabolic Atlases of Aedes aegypti Tissues Reveal an Immunometabolic Switch Associated with Dengue Virus Resistance |
|
| |
Jason L. Rasgon †, Pennsylvania State University
Short Talk: Mosquito Genetic Modification Using Infectious Agents |
|
| |
Lauren Aguado †, Rockefeller University
Short Talk: Revealing Host Factors That Support Alphavirus Replication in Aedes aegypti Mosquito Cells |
|
| |
Yu-Min Chuang †, Yale University
Short Talk: Host Antibodies Targeting Mosquito Proteins Modulate Plasmodium Transmission |
|
| |
Corey L. Campbell †, Colorado State University
Short Talk: Alteration of Histone Modifications and SREBP Transcription Factor Binding Reveal Differences in Mosquito Midgut Responses to Rift Valley Fever Virus Exposure |
|
| |
Joppe Hovius †, Amsterdam UMC
Short Talk: TICK ME: A Novel Human Tick Challenge Model for Dissecting Clinical Manifestations and Immune Signatures of Acquired Tick Resistance |
|
| |
Kevin Maringer †, The Pirbright Institute
Short Talk: The Evolutionary Arms Race Between NF-Κb-Mediated Antiviral Immunity And Orthoflaviviruses Influences Arboviral Vector Tropism and Emergence |
|
| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
|
| 5:00–7:00 PM |
Key Cellular and Molecular Determinants of Arbovirus Infection and Transmission |
|
| |
Doug E. Brackney, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
How Flaviviruses Initiate Infection of the Mosquito Midgut |
|
| |
Sarah Merkling, Institut Pasteur
Deciphering Mosquito-Virus Interactions at the Single-Cell Level |
|
| |
Gong Cheng, Tsinghua University
A Role for EVs in Mediating Virus-Vector Specificity |
|
| |
Andrii Slonchak †, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
Spatial Gene Expression Atlas of Aedes Aegypti Reveals Novel Mechanisms of Dengue Virus-Vector Interactions |
|
| |
Erik Turner †, University of California, Davis
Short Talk: Exploring The Potential for Aedes Aegypti Based Environmental Spread a Chikungunya Virus Live Attenuated Vaccine, IXCHIQ |
|
| 7:00–8:00 PM |
On Own for Dinner |
|
Wednesday, February 3, 2027
| 8:00–8:30 AM |
Poster Setup |
|
| 8:15–5:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
|
| 8:30–11:30 AM |
Cutting-Edge Strategies for Halting Vector-Borne Disease Transmission |
|
| |
Johanna Fraser, Burnet Institute
Determining the Risk of Virus Resistance Developing against Wolbachia in Aedes Aegypti |
|
| |
Omar S. Akbari, University of California, San Diego
Genetic Biocontrol at Scale: Precision Suppression of Arboviral Vectors |
|
| |
Jeremy K Herren, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, icipe
Utilizing Microsporidia to Block Malaria Transmission |
|
| |
Sibao Wang, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Harnessing Mosquito Gut Symbiotic Bacteria to Block Malaria Transmission |
|
| |
David Omondi O Ouma †, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Short Talk: Establishing Wolbachia-Based Incompatible Insect Technique for Culex molestus Control in the UK |
|
| |
Chrysoula Kitsou †, University of Maryland
Short Talk: A Feeding-Induced Mouthpart-Associated Protein is a Promising Anti-Tick Vaccine Candidate |
|
| 9:30–9:50 AM |
Coffee Break |
|
| 11:40–12:40 PM |
Panel Discussion 1: From Bench to Field: How to Translate Laboratory Breakthroughs to Actual Control Strategies |
|
| 1:00–2:30 PM |
Poster Session 2 |
|
| 2:30–3:30 PM |
Career Roundtable |
|
| 3:30–4:30 PM |
Panel Discussion 2: Global Virus Network (Joint) |
|
| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
|
| 5:00–7:00 PM |
Controlling Transmission in Endemic Regions: Field Applications of Novel Control Strategies |
|
| |
Aboulaye Diabaté, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso
From Entomopathogenic Fungi to Gene Drive: Lessons from the Field |
|
| |
David Malone, Gates Foundation
Precision Vector Control: Rethinking Insecticides for Targeted Transmission Control |
|
| |
Sara N. Mitchell, Debug Project At Google
Wolbachia-Mediated Sterility to Suppress Mosquito Populations |
|
| |
Brian D Foy †, Colorado State University
Short Talk: Current Progress on Medicated Bird Feed to Control Arbovirus Transmission |
|
| |
Vanessa Ngannang †, Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases
Short Talk: The Argininosuccinate Lyase Gene Exacerbates Pyrethroid Resistance in the African Malaria Vector Anopheles funestus Through Cis-Regulatory Elements and Allelic Variation |
|
| 7:00–8:00 PM |
On Own for Dinner |
|
Thursday, February 4, 2027
| 8:30–11:30 AM |
Vector Physiology: A Key Determinant in Pathogen Transmission |
|
| |
Laura Dickson, University of Texas of Medical Branch
The Effects of Dehydration and Humidity on Mosquito Susceptibility to Infection |
|
| |
Flaminia Catteruccia, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Unraveling Key Mosquito-Parasite Interactions to Block Malaria Transmission |
|
| |
Brian L. Weiss, Yale School of Public Health
An Integral Role for Endosymbiotic Bacteria in Tsetse Fly Biology |
|
| |
Petr Kopacek, Czech Academy of Science
Understanding Tick Biology through Multi-Omics Approaches |
|
| |
Eric Calvo †, NIH
Short Talk: From Enzymes to Scavengers: Functional Evolution of Tsetse Fly Salivary Proteins |
|
| |
Agustin Rolandelli †, INSERM DR Nord Ouest
Short Talk: From Gut to Hemocytes: Tissue-Specific Responses to Blood Feeding and Yersinia pestis Infection in Fleas |
|
| 9:30–9:50 AM |
Coffee Break |
|
| 2:30–4:30 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 2: Pathogen Determinants Mediating Vector Infection |
|
| |
Ailsa Craven †, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Short Talk: Unraveling The Role of Plasmodium Falciparum Ookinete Micronemes in Midgut Traversal |
|
| |
Zhong Wan †, Radboudumc
Short Talk: Deep Behavioral Phenotyping of Pathogen Infected Mosquitoes Reveals Species-Specific Behavior Changes Enhancing Transmission |
|
| |
Jason M Park †, Washington State University
Short Talk: Tick specific Anaplasma effector AteA localizes with the actin cytoskeleton and binds cellular signaling proteins Crk and RasGAP |
|
| |
Rhoel R. Dinglasan †, University of Florida
Short Talk: An N-Glycosylation Mutation in the Gc Structural Protein Head Domain of Oropouche Virus (OROV) Is Associated with Transmissible Infection In Mosquitoes |
|
| |
Godfrey Indinda †, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
An Antiviral Lectin Blocks Orthoflavivirus Infection of Aedes Aegypti Through Nonstructural Protein 1 (NS1) Inhibition |
|
| |
Meghan Hermance †, University of South Alabama
Short Talk: Prior Host Exposure to a Tick-Borne Flavivirus Reshapes the Cutaneous Niche for Viral Co-Feeding Transmission |
|
| |
Alexander Rouvinski †, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, IMRIC
Short Talk: Novel Membrane Fusogens from Insect Restricted Viruses of Negevirus Taxon |
|
| |
Tanwee Das De †, Indian Institute of Science and Education Research
Short Talk: From Odor to Outbreak: Deciphering odor detection mechanisms and Pathogen Transmission |
|
| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
|
| 5:00–6:15 PM |
Navigating the Vector Landscape: Pathogen Strategies from Infection to Transmission |
|
| |
Dana K Shaw, Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine
The Molecular Tug of War between Tick Immunity and Pathogen Persistence |
|
| |
Jack Sunter, Oxford Brookes University
Sticking Around: Leishmania Adhesion during Sand Fly infection |
|
| |
Brandy St. Laurent †, Cornell University
Short Talk: Malaria Parasite Development in the Invasive Urban Malaria Vector Anopheles Stephensi Under Variable Humidity and Temperature |
|
| 6:15–7:05 PM |
Closing Keynote Address |
|
| |
Carolina V. Barillas-Mury, NIAID, National Institutes of Health
The Role of Midgut Stem Cells During Plasmodium Infection of Mosquitoes |
|
| 7:05–7:15 PM |
Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions (Organizers) |
|
| 7:15–8:15 PM |
On Own for Dinner |
|
