Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Trends in Parasitology @cp-trendsparasitol.bsky.social · Aug 22

Drs @minealtinli.bsky.social‬ @spleonard1.bsky.social‬ @alainkohlvirology.bsky.social & @mosquitomicrobe.bsky.social review #bacteria-mediated #dsRNA delivery for #mosquito-borne #virus control. #RNAi #vectorcontrol #symbiont #engineering #mosquito #arbovirus

www.cell.com/trends/paras...

2 12 13

Grant Hughes @mosquitomicrobe.bsky.social · Jun 26

What @edmhill.bsky.social said!!!👇

Ed Hill @edmhill.bsky.social · Jun 26

📣 Funded PhD opportunity (UK tuition fee rate) in @hpruezi.bsky.social. #PhDSky

🧪 "Predict & Prepare for Arbovirus Introduction to the UK" #IDSky

👥 Supervisors: @mosquitomicrobe.bsky.social | @baylism.bsky.social | Jolyon Medlock

⏳ Deadline: 17 Jul 2025

🔗: www.lstmed.ac.uk/study/resear...

PhD project: Predict and Prepare for Arbovirus Introduction to the UK

(Application type) Studentship: National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections (EZI)

Research Theme: Predict and Prevent
Primary Supervisor: Dr Grant Hughes
Research department: Vector Biology
Closing date: 17 July 2025

Abstract.

This project has the broad aims of better understanding the risk of mosquito-borne diseases in the UK and developing and evaluating vector control strategies to mitigate this risk. One highly promising vector control strategy exploits the bacterium Wolbachia, to either render populations incapable of transmitting pathogens, or to suppress the mosquito population itself. In collaboration with partners, we will undertake initial steps to develop novel Wolbachia-based control strategies suitable for the suppression of Ae. albopictus, a highly invasive and competent vector of many arboviruses. Such approaches could be critical in repressing the incursion of Ae. albopictus into the UK, and/or forming a biological barrier that prevents establishment. The project will develop mosquito lines that are capable of being used in such an approach and these lines will be evaluated for the suppression capacity against a range of different Aedes albopictus populations from Europe. Data obtained from these experiments will be integrated into models to determine how this approach and other contemporary and conventional vector control measures could be deployed in the event of an Aedes albopictus-transmitted disease outbreak in the UK. This is critical research to inform UK government strategies to manage the incursion of Aedes albopictus and associated arbovirus risks.

This PhD is a collaboration between the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, University of Liverpool & the UK Health Security Agency. In addition to the benefits associated with the HPRU, the PhD position will be based within the Mosquito Symbiosis and Infection (MosSI) group, in the Departments of Vector Biology & Tropical Disease Biology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Supervisors for the project include Profs Grant Hughes (LSTM), Matthew Baylis (UoL) & Dr Jolyon Medlock (UKHSA).

PhD focus will be agreed with the successful applicant based on their own background & research interests.

Indicative Start Date: 01 October 2025

Funding package: This studentship is funded by the NIHR HPRU EZI-3 project.

The studentship includes:
- Stipend set at the UKRI Minimum Doctoral Stipend rate. For 25/26 this is £20,780 per annum.
- Tuition/programme fees at the 'Home' rate
- Contribution to research support fees for; lab consumables, travel, computing hardware, publications.

The duration of the funding package is 3 years.

There is no additional funding available to support travel to the UK or with costs associated with a UK Visa application.

Academic:

- Applicants must hold at least a first class or high upper second-class Honours degree, or a degree of comparable standard awarded from outside the UK.
- A Masters degree (at merit or distinction preferable) is also welcomed, but not a pre-requisite.
- Where an applicant does not meet the Honours degree requirement (e.g. they hold a lower second-class Honours degree), they may be eligible to apply if they also hold a Master's degree with an awarded distinction in an area relevant to the MRC DTP. To be considered for this exemption, the qualification must be awarded at time of application and candidates must provide an award certificate and transcript for both qualifications. Unfortunately, we are unable to consider Master's qualifications that have not yet been awarded for this purpose.

Residence:
Candidates of all nationalities are eligible to apply to this studentship and we encourage applicants that are nationals of a Low-Middle-Income Country (Link to webpage with list of countries with low-income or middle-income economies. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) compiles this information and revises it every three years. https://wellcome.org/research-funding/guidance/prepare-to-apply/low-and-middle-income-countries)

2 2

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Grant Hughes @mosquitomicrobe.bsky.social · Jun 18

Come and join the @mossi-lab.bsky.social group! We have a postdoc position available on Wolbachia and Anopheles interactions.

app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car...

Post Doctoral Research Associate in Wolbachia Biology | Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Ready to make a difference in vector biology research? We are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic researcher to join an exciting BBSRC-funded project exploring the fascinating interactions betwee...

app.vacancy-filler.co.uk

19 15

Grant Hughes @mosquitomicrobe.bsky.social · Jun 18

Come and join the @mossi-lab.bsky.social group! We have a postdoc position available on Wolbachia and Anopheles interactions.

app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car...

Post Doctoral Research Associate in Wolbachia Biology | Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Ready to make a difference in vector biology research? We are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic researcher to join an exciting BBSRC-funded project exploring the fascinating interactions betwee...

app.vacancy-filler.co.uk

19 15

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Eva Heinz @evaheinz7.bsky.social · Jun 17

News from team #Wolbachia genuine symbionts in SOME #Anopheles species! 🧬🖥️ 🦠🧫 🧪 Led by @uni-of-warwick.bsky.social Tom Walker & team; and first first-author since Laura joined us @unistrathclyde.bsky.social 😊
#MicroSky #MicrobiomeSky #mosquito (1/3) www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

www.biorxiv.org

1 1 5

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Dr Steven White @drstevenmwhite.bsky.social · May 21

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

West Nile virus detected in UK mosquitoes for first time

A UK Health Safety Agency spokesperson said the risk to the general public is

www.bbc.co.uk

1 3 4

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Emily Hornett @bolinabug.bsky.social · May 12

Fun unexpected finding just submitted as a preprint

Greg Hurst @greghurst.bsky.social · May 12

New preprint ex @bolinabug.bsky.social (+ @daisukekageyama.bsky.social & @scottishwormboy.bsky.social) on the pronounced secondary expansion of Spiroplasma and Rickettsia genomes in lacewings doi.org/10.1101/2025... #symbiosky 1/2

Concerted genome expansion of heritable symbionts in an insect host

Maternally transmitted symbionts represent important components of arthropod biology, acting as both beneficial partners and as reproductive parasites. Their strict vertical transmission greatly reduc...

doi.org

1 3

Grant Hughes @mosquitomicrobe.bsky.social · Apr 11

Congrats Edan!

Grant Hughes @mosquitomicrobe.bsky.social · Apr 9

Okinawa bound for Wolbachia25!

2

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Mosquito Symbiosis and Infection lab @mossi-lab.bsky.social · Apr 3

Some MosSI Lab representation at the @royentsoc.bsky.social Student Forum - @luciendobel.bsky.social and @tarasusyjoe.bsky.social presenting on the mosquito microbiome. #EntoSci #MosquitoMicrobiome #MosSILab

1 4 8

Reposted by Grant Hughes

World Mosquito Program @worldmosquitoprogram.org · Mar 28

#FunFactFriday: Aedes aegypti eggs can lie dormant for months in dry conditions, then spring to life minutes after rainfall.

This persistence is just one of the reasons why our sustainable #Wolbachia method is crucial for protecting communities from diseases like #dengue.

Have a good weekend!

Aedes aegypti eggs can survive dry conditions hatching when water rises.

1 4

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Michelle Wille @duckswabber.bsky.social · Mar 11

What a title!
"This is the way the world ends; not with a bang but a whimper: Estimating the number and ongoing rate of extinctions of Australian non-marine invertebrates"
Biodiversity declines really concerning.
👉 www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

30 60

Grant Hughes @mosquitomicrobe.bsky.social · Mar 2

Some stuff we did Alex…

bsky.app/profile/moss...

Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · Jan 28

Post the amazing science things you have done with federal funding.

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Philipp Engel @pengellab.bsky.social · Feb 18

We are looking for a bioinformatician with expertise in microbiome data analysis join our team at the University of Lausanne. The successful candidate will lead and support research projects within nccr-microbiomes.ch. More details here: shorturl.at/mC46o . Please share with potential candidates.

Opportunités de carrière : Research Associate position in bioinformatics support (22124)

shorturl.at

1 21 13

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Pedro Vale @pfvale.bsky.social · Feb 6

PhD Summer School on Host-Microbe Symbioses. Awesome topic. Unbeatable location.

#symbiosky #microsky #evobio

gimm.idloom.events/phd-summer-s...

PhD Summer School on Host-Microbe Symbioses 2025

PhD Summer School on Host-Microbe Symbioses Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM) & Católica Biomedical Research Centre (CBR) July 06 -19, 202...

gimm.idloom.events

1 16 20

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Matthew Collins @matthewcollins.bsky.social · Feb 9

Have/nearly have a PhD?
≤7 years post-doc experience?
Working outside UK?
Not a UK citizen?

BA & Royal Society offering 2-yr Fellowships for early career researchers to come to the UK!
💷 Includes:
Research expenses £12k
Relocation up to £8k
🗓️ Deadline: Mar 18, 2025 (17:00 GMT)
#ResearchFunding

International Fellowships 2025

The International Fellowships Programme enables researchers to work for two years at a UK institution with the aim of building a globally connected, mobile research and innovation workforce.

www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

85 73

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Eva Heinz @evaheinz7.bsky.social · Feb 8

#PhD alert, here @unistrathclyde.bsky.social in the very friendly, diverse, artsy & welcoming city of Glasgow 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Disentangling the functional modules of #mosquito #microbiomes - what puzzle pieces build our #holobionts?

#MicroSky #MicrobiomeSky 💻🧬🧪

More here 😊 www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/...

Schematic overview of the PhD; combining bacterial genomes from a large collection to analyse adhesins, metabolic potential, bacterial warfare; and compare to other arthropod symbiontes and design a minimal microbiome.

17 19

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Natalie Bennett @nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social · Feb 7

Fascinating research and a reminder of the complexity of non-human animals' #microbiome - and the complex impacts on #PublicHealth and #OneHealth

Mosquito Symbiosis and Infection lab @mossi-lab.bsky.social · Feb 3

Science distraction? #Zika virus interactions with the microbiome in Aedes aegypti. The microbiomes in different mosquito lines respond distinctly to viral exposure and infection. @laurabrettell.bsky.social @alexwild.bsky.social @evaheinz7.bsky.social and others.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Mosquito host background influences microbiome-ZIKV interactions in field and laboratory-reared Aedes aegypti

The mosquito microbiota represents an intricate assemblage of microorganisms, comprising bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa. Factors modulating microbiome abundance and composition include host ge...

www.biorxiv.org

7 13

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Eva Heinz @evaheinz7.bsky.social · Feb 7

Trying to focus on something positive for a second; outstanding work finally seeing the light of bioRXiv; #mosquito #microbiome #ZIKV interactions; after ~7(?) years' work, this really complex manuscript is finally here! #MicroSky #MicrobiomeSky 💻🧬 🧪 TLDR; The #holobiont diversity strikes again 😊🦟🦠

Mosquito Symbiosis and Infection lab @mossi-lab.bsky.social · Feb 3

Science distraction? #Zika virus interactions with the microbiome in Aedes aegypti. The microbiomes in different mosquito lines respond distinctly to viral exposure and infection. @laurabrettell.bsky.social @alexwild.bsky.social @evaheinz7.bsky.social and others.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Mosquito host background influences microbiome-ZIKV interactions in field and laboratory-reared Aedes aegypti

The mosquito microbiota represents an intricate assemblage of microorganisms, comprising bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa. Factors modulating microbiome abundance and composition include host ge...

www.biorxiv.org

4 15

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Ryan Smith @vectorimmunity.bsky.social · Feb 6

🚨 We are recruiting for two post-doc positions!🚨

1) Development of genetic tools to study mosquito immune cells isu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/IowaStateJob...

2) Role of mosquito immune cells in immune recognition and priming isu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/IowaStateJob...

14 13

Grant Hughes @mosquitomicrobe.bsky.social · Feb 4

Femails!

1

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Mosquito Symbiosis and Infection lab @mossi-lab.bsky.social · Feb 3

Science distraction? #Zika virus interactions with the microbiome in Aedes aegypti. The microbiomes in different mosquito lines respond distinctly to viral exposure and infection. @laurabrettell.bsky.social @alexwild.bsky.social @evaheinz7.bsky.social and others.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Mosquito host background influences microbiome-ZIKV interactions in field and laboratory-reared Aedes aegypti

The mosquito microbiota represents an intricate assemblage of microorganisms, comprising bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa. Factors modulating microbiome abundance and composition include host ge...

www.biorxiv.org

4 7

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Greg Hurst @greghurst.bsky.social · Jan 15

New preprint from @haraipapilio.bsky.social with @bolinabug.bsky.social @daisukekageyama.bsky.social and others not on bluesky #symbiosky www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Evolution of Wolbachia male-killing mechanism within a host species

Male-killing bacterial symbionts, prevalent in arthropods, skew population sex ratios by selectively killing male progeny, profoundly impacting ecology and evolution of their hosts. Male-killing is a ...

www.biorxiv.org

3 14 26

Reposted by Grant Hughes

Eva Heinz @evaheinz7.bsky.social · Jan 9

Happy 2025 all! Hot off the press, news from the #mosquito #microbiomes and why a 'reproducibility crisis' in mosquito research might be because your #holobiont is not exactly the same as next-door's holobiont 😁 💻🧬🦠🦟
lnkd.in/dp7v-wqU

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

1 4 13