2010 - 19th Annual NC State Undergraduate Research Spring Symposium

Session Time : 4/22/10 10:30 AM - 4/22/10 11:45 AM

Content Area : Biomedical Engineering

Student Presenters :
Priscilla Tan Biomedical Engineering

Mentors and/or Co-Authors :
Marian McCord Textile Engineering Chemistry and Science

Abstract Title : New approaches to the design of protective textiles to fight malaria

Abstract :
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), half of the world’s population is at risk of malaria, a deadly, infectious disease that is transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. Currently, malaria prevention is heavily reliant on chemical approaches such as insecticidal bednets and spraying. However, while beneficial in the short-term, their long-term effectiveness is continuously decreasing as mosquitoes quickly develop a resistance to all commonly-used insecticidal chemistries.
Thus, new ways to control mosquito populations and prevent the spread of disease without chemical agents are urgently needed. Further, to be effective, any new method must circumvent the mosquito’s adaptivity. Other approaches, including mechanical or physical disruptions of mosquitos, have not yet been fully exploited.
Mosquitoes deposit their eggs on water. Recent studies revealed that this ability is related to the complex surface chemistry and nanostructure on the mosquitoes’ legs that results in superhydrophobicity. By counteracting this physiochemical phenomenon, it may be possible to prevent oviposition and thereby mosquito reproduction.
The strategy to defeat this superhydrophobicity involves simple, non-toxic substances, similar to those found in common detergents. These substances could be applied to conventional non-insecticidal bednets. As it attempts to bite through the fabric, the mosquito repeatedly and forcefully pushes the fibers aside with its hind legs, thereby interacting with the substances.
The objective of our research is to identify suitable substances, study their efficiency, and develop a reliable technique to adhere these to bednets.