Álvaro Acosta Serrano's Avatar

Álvaro Acosta Serrano

@aacostaserrano.bsky.social

Professor of Vector Biology and Parasitology at the University of Notre Dame, USA

215 Followers  |  295 Following  |  11 Posts  |  Joined: 03.02.2025
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Posts by Álvaro Acosta Serrano (@aacostaserrano.bsky.social)

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Save the dates!! @bspparasitology.bsky.social Spring Meeting 2026 will be in Bonnie Glasgow! 7-9 April 2026, with a drinks reception in Glasgow City Chambers on the 6th of April 2026!
Keep an eye on the BSP website for registration and abstract submission!
Logo by @shannaraeilean.bsky.social! 🦟

11.09.2025 11:09 — 👍 32    🔁 21    💬 1    📌 2

Marvel hasn’t called yet, but “Mosquito Slayer: Origin” has a nice ring to it.....

Thank you for covering our work

@aacostaserrano.bsky.social @lstmnews.bsky.social @notredame.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1186/s130...

11.08.2025 20:45 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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The β-triketone, nitisinone, kills insecticide-resistant mosquitoes through cuticular uptake - Parasites & Vectors Background Insecticide resistance in disease-transmitting arthropods of agricultural, veterinary, and public health significance poses a significant threat to vector control programs worldwide. Previo...

Check out this awesome study from our Notre Dame colleagues, @aacostaserrano.bsky.social and Lee Haines!! Nitisinone kills insecticide-resistant mosquitoes through cuticular uptake

parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

07.08.2025 16:57 — 👍 5    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Just out: LSTM’s blog post on our latest paper exploring how nitisinone kills malaria mosquitoes, even the resistant ones, through tarsal contact.

From rare disease drug to vector control tool.

@aacostaserrano.bsky.social

📄 Paper: doi.org/10.1186/s130...

#malaria #vectorcontrol #entomology #HPPD

07.08.2025 12:59 — 👍 7    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0
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The β-triketone, nitisinone, kills insecticide-resistant mosquitoes through cuticular uptake - Parasites & Vectors Background Insecticide resistance in disease-transmitting arthropods of agricultural, veterinary, and public health significance poses a significant threat to vector control programs worldwide. Previo...

Here we show that #nitisinone kills insecticide-resistant mosquitoes via cuticular uptake. Great work Zach Stavrou-Dowd, Lee Haines, & LITE. Thanks @gatesfoundation.bsky.social & @RoseTrees Trust @notredame.bsky.social @lstmnews.bsky.social parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

01.08.2025 22:18 — 👍 9    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0

I’m glad to hear that. You guys are always welcome to use our facility.

01.08.2025 22:00 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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The expanded immunoregulatory protease network in mosquitoes is governed by gene coexpression | PNAS Serine protease cascades regulate key innate immune responses. Their activation cleaves a series of inactive protease zymogens, which then activate...

New paper from the lab:
Bianca Morejon defines the regulatory protease network that governs #mosquito #immunity
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

02.05.2025 15:02 — 👍 26    🔁 10    💬 1    📌 0
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Ivermectina y nitisinona: las dos últimas armas antimosquitos para luchar contra la malaria La creciente resistencia de los plasmodios y de sus mosquitos vectores frente a fármacos e insecticidas está incentivando la elaboración de nuevas herramientas terapéuticas contra la malaria.

theconversation.com/ivermectina-...

16.04.2025 21:36 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Safe human drug can poison mosquitoes Another potential mitigation for malaria...

www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/int... Many thanks to Chris Smith and the @NakeScientists for the short podcast about our recent publication on #Nitisinone & #Anopheles #mosquitoes

11.04.2025 16:06 — 👍 5    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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WHO delivers fexinidazole to Malawi and Zimbabwe – a long-awaited safer treatment for rhodesiense human African trypanosomiasis In a major breakthrough for rhodesiense human African trypanosomiasis (r-HAT) treatment, in August 2024 WHO recommended fexinidazole to replace suramin and melarsoprol as the first-line treatment for ...

Good news - after 76 yrs with no new drug for rhodiensese Human African Trypanosomiasis, @who.int has faciliated research, development & now delivery ofmore effective fexinidazole to replace suramin & melarsoprol. Huge benefit given harsh side effects of the latter.

www.who.int/news/item/07...

03.04.2025 08:24 — 👍 29    🔁 8    💬 0    📌 0
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To fight malaria, scientists want to poison mosquitoes—with human blood Low doses of a drug already approved for treating rare genetic conditions in humans kills mosquitoes dead. Scientists say it could be a valuable new tool in the fight against disease.

Thanks Jason Bittle & National Geographic @hgl7.bsky.social 4 the nice piece www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti... about our recent paper on nitisinone & malaria control www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

28.03.2025 22:17 — 👍 3    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

Thanks @freddyfrischknecht.bsky.social it has been a long road, as usual…

28.03.2025 13:54 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Un nuevo compuesto prometedor contra la malaria: convierte tu sangre en veneno para los mosquitos Un grupo de investigadores descubre que la nitisinona, que ya se emplea como fármaco contra enfermedades raras, es más eficaz contra los mosquitos que la ivermectina y podría ser una alternativa en la...

Un grupo de investigadores descubre que la nitisinona, que ya se emplea como fármaco contra enfermedades raras, es más eficaz contra los mosquitos que la ivermectina y podría ser una alternativa en la lucha contra la malaria

27.03.2025 19:44 — 👍 66    🔁 18    💬 0    📌 1

A team effort!

28.03.2025 00:03 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Muchas gracias @elenagomez-diaz.bsky.social y Carlos!

27.03.2025 11:41 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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Un nuevo compuesto prometedor contra la malaria: convierte tu sangre en veneno para los mosquitos Un grupo de investigadores descubre que la nitisinona, que ya se emplea como fármaco contra enfermedades raras, es más eficaz contra los mosquitos que la ivermectina y podría ser una alternativa en la...

Ya para socios: Un nuevo compuesto prometedor contra la malaria: convierte tu sangre en veneno para los mosquitos

26.03.2025 21:45 — 👍 39    🔁 17    💬 1    📌 1
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Anopheles mosquito survival and pharmacokinetic modeling show the mosquitocidal activity of nitisinone Nitisinone reduces survival of the malaria-transmitting mosquito Anopheles gambiae by blocking tyrosine catabolism.

Glad this is finally out. Using pharmacokinetic modeling we show that #nitisinone, an FDA-approved drug 4 #Tyrosinemia & #Alkaptonuria, kills #Anopheles mosquitoes, outperforming #Ivermectin. Grateful to all primary author’s & fantastic collaborators!

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

26.03.2025 20:21 — 👍 16    🔁 6    💬 0    📌 0

globally, there are ~3500 described mosquito species in the Culicidae family and many of these are important vectors of disease but only a small percentage have genomic resources. we are launching a pilot project to generate high quality reference genomes for 100 important mosquito species [1/3]

24.02.2025 10:51 — 👍 147    🔁 28    💬 3    📌 6
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PLOS statement on recent US Executive Orders and scientific integrity - The Official PLOS Blog Since its founding over twenty five years ago PLOS has been dedicated to advancing open science, ensuring that knowledge is accessible to…

PLOS has issued a statement on recent US Executive Orders and scientific integrity.

We are determined to stand firmly behind our mission, our values and our principles, and against any attempt at censorship or undermining of the core principles of scientific inquiry.

plos.io/3D4O8cH

21.02.2025 15:41 — 👍 1113    🔁 437    💬 28    📌 63

'I log on & am bombarded by pictures of things happening outside of Burundi..A non-elected billionaire is answering qs in the Oval Office. He is well-fed & cost of his clothing alone could probably sustain the children in my hospital for a yr. I wonder how we will feed the malnourished babies 2mrw'

19.02.2025 19:18 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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NIH slashes overhead payments for research, sparking outrage and lawsuit Move to cut indirect cost rate to 15% could cost universities billions of dollars

Breaking news: 22 states are suing to block NIH’s cutting of indirect costs.

See our updated story on the Friday night news and its aftermath. scim.ag/4hTJQ6v

10.02.2025 18:43 — 👍 410    🔁 163    💬 5    📌 17
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Hey #fungal people - the applications for this years MOMY course are open! Wonderful course in a wonderful place with wonderful people. Check it out here: www.mbl.edu/education/ad...

10.02.2025 19:13 — 👍 6    🔁 6    💬 0    📌 0
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🚨 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...

06.02.2025 21:31 — 👍 13    🔁 14    💬 0    📌 2

I’m very much looking forward to attending the symposium and to celebrate the career of Mark Carrington.

16.01.2025 20:22 — 👍 6    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

This work would not have been possible without the expertise and dedication of Zachary Stavrou-Dowd and Lee Haines, as well as the fruitful collaboration of Rosemary Lees and colleagues from the Liverpool Insect Testing Establishment (LITE).

03.02.2025 19:16 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

In this work we show that #nitisinone kills both susceptible and insecticide-resistant Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes through cuticular absorption. Our findings support development of a new type of insecticides that specifically target the mosquito Tyr pathway without affecting insect pollinators.

03.02.2025 19:16 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0