Developing heat-inducible CRISPR-based genetic control tools for the Mexican fruit fly (Anastrepha ludens)
About the Project
The Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Mexfly), is an important invasive agricultural pest and a priority target for the development of precise, species-specific and environmentally responsible control strategies in the United States. This fully funded PhD studentship will be embedded in a collaborative programme between the Meccariello Lab at Imperial College London and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), with additional scientific collaboration from the Akbari Lab at the University of California San Diego.
The project will focus on developing and validating heat-inducible CRISPR-based genetic control tools for Mexfly. By combining insect genetics, transgenesis, functional genomics and molecular biology, the student will investigate systems that allow spatial and temporal control over genome editing activity. This is a key requirement for the development of safer and more controllable genetic technologies for pest management.
The studentship
The PhD project will have the following objectives:
- Develop a heat-inducible CRISPR toolkit in Anastrepha ludens by testing heat-responsive regulatory elements and temperature-responsive CRISPR systems.
- Generate and characterise transgenic Mexfly lines carrying Cas12a-based and heat-inducible Cas9-based genome editing components.
- Optimise heat-shock induction protocols across developmental stages and evaluate editing efficiency, mutation rates, inheritance patterns and fitness-related traits.
- Identify and test genetic targets associated with male sterility to support the development of CRISPR-based population suppression strategies.
- Assess the performance of the most promising strains in confined laboratory cage trials to evaluate their potential for Mexfly control.
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