Funding Directions for Population Replacement, Kathryn S. Aultman, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892.
The effort to develop novel approaches for vector control has long been acknowledged as an important gap in the medical entomology enterprise. Funding agencies have recently attempted to stimulate that effort, and they are having some success. Current and future funding programs are similarly aimed at perceived gaps in the research program. Population replacement strategies were developed decades ago; and have been reviewed recently by Benedict et al. Improvement of that strategy through development of genetically engineered organisms was first identified as a goal in the early 1980s and great strides have been made in the laboratory; counterpart studies in the field remain sparse and constitute a major gap. Studies of arthropod vectors are needed that address the ecology, physiology, population genetics and genomics, behavior (including mating, oviposition and host seeking), and relationship to the pathogen. These are the subject of current solicitations at the NIH and elsewhere. Specific solicitation programs of the NIH and others will be described along with advice about how to access them.
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