Grand Challenges - Laurence Zwiebel | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Scientists are using exciti repellency, a compound called VUA A1, to overload mosquito's sense of smell and make them not want to bite humans, potentially eradicating malaria.

Key Insights

• 🔍 Thinking outside the box and daring to dream can lead to groundbreaking solutions, such as eradicating malaria by manipulating the mosquito's sense of smell.
• 🦟 By designing a new approach that makes mosquitoes not want to bite humans, the transmission of diseases like malaria can be significantly reduced.
• 🧪 Compounds like VUA A1 have been discovered, which can drive mosquitoes crazy and even work on other insects, offering potential solutions for mosquito control.
• 🔬 Exciti repellency, where the mosquito's sense of smell is overloaded, shows promise in creating situations where mosquitoes seek blood meals elsewhere.
• 💡 Research is always about possibilities, and it is through experimentation and trying various approaches that breakthroughs can be achieved.
• 💎 Catalytic philanthropy enables innovative and ambitious projects by providing necessary funds and support to tackle grand challenges.
• 🌍 Eradicating malaria can have a significant global impact, as it is a major public health concern in many tropical and subtropical regions.
• 🏆 Collaborative efforts between research institutions like Vanderbilt University and philanthropic organizations can drive scientific advancements that benefit society.

Transcript

the grand challenges asked the people to think outside the box and dare to dream something that really had a very low probability of success but was so over the horizon and so exciting that you really wanted to try it in our case the dream was to eradicate malaria to really take a fundamental look at the mosquitos olfactory system the mosquito sens... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How does the compound VUA A1 affect mosquitoes and their sense of smell?

VUA A1 is an allosteric agonist that turns on all of the mosquito's odor receptors at once, overloading its sense of smell and making it move away from humans.

Q: Does exciti repellency only work on mosquitoes?

No, the compound VUA A1 and its related compounds work on all insects, not just mosquitoes.

Q: Why is the olfactory system of mosquitoes targeted in the effort to eradicate malaria?

The olfactory system of mosquitoes is targeted because if mosquitoes don't bite humans, they cannot transmit the disease, making it a potential way to eradicate malaria.

Q: What is catalytic philanthropy in the context of this research?

Catalytic philanthropy refers to the approach of exploring and funding innovative ideas and projects that have a low probability of success but can have a significant positive impact, such as eradicating malaria.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Scientists aimed to eradicate malaria by designing a new approach to make mosquitoes not want to bite humans.

• They focused on the mosquito's olfactory system and found compounds, particularly VUA A1, that overload the mosquito's sense of smell, driving them away from humans.

• This approach, known as exciti repellency, could potentially help in the eradication of malaria.