About the GROUP
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developing new tools that strengthen global public health
Our group studies how mosquitoes and microbes interact so we can develop new tools—like safer mosquitoes, transmission-blocking vaccines, and targeted biopesticides—to stop the spread of deadly diseases. We’re driven by the goal of protecting millions of people worldwide while training the next generation of scientists who will continue this life-saving mission.
MEET THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
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Dr. george Dimopoulos, phd, mba
Professor, Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Director of the Parasitology Core Facility
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George Dimopoulos, PhD, MBA, studies vector-borne diseases and how mosquitoes can be rendered incapable of transmitting human pathogens.
George Dimopoulos is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute. His group investigates how mosquitoes’ innate immune systems and microbiomes can be harnessed to block transmission of malaria and arboviral diseases like dengue and Zika. With a BSc in microbiology (Stockholm University), a PhD in biology (University of Crete) and an MBA (Johns Hopkins Carey Business School), he brings a unique blend of expertise in molecular entomology, functional genomics, and translational research. His work is dedicated to turning basic insect-pathogen insights into novel, scalable strategies for vector-borne disease control.
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Meet the Group!
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Yuemei Dong
Senior Research Associate
I am studying Plasmodium restriction- and host-factors in Anopheles gambiae.
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Shengzhang Dong
Senior Research Associate
I am studying the implication of the Aedes aegypti siRNA pathway in antiviral defenses.
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Caire Barreto
Postdoctoral Fellow
I have discovered a suit of novel Anopheles gambiae antimicrobial peptides, of which three have potent anti-sporozoite activity.
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Gladys Gutierrez Bugallo
Postdoctoral Fellow
I am studying molecular underpinnings of arboviral vertical transmission, and determining interdependencies between the siRNA pathway and classical immune pathways.
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Mary Kefi
Postdoctoral Fellow
I am studying a novel function of Anopheles gambiae Cryptochrome in mosquito defenses against Plasmodium.
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Vandana Vandana
Postdoctoral Fellow
I am characterizing mosquitocidal factors produced by Chromobacterium Csp_P.
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Madhavinadha Prasad Kona
Postdoctoral Fellow
I am developing novel Attractive Toxic Sugar Bait technologies to target adult mosquitoes.
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Xinmi Zhang
Postdoctoral Fellow
I am studying the mechanisms by which Wolbachia blocks Plasmodium in Anopheles.
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Houhong Zhang
Postdoctoral Fellow
I am developing transgenic mosquitoes that die when they get infected with Plasmodium.
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Evan Cole Dumayas
ScM Student
I am studying the Aedes aegypti siRNA pathway and how it interacts with other immune pathways.
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Cassie Kaplan
ScM Student
I am studying the Anopheles Cryptochrome 1 implication in Plasmodium infection using CRISPR/CAS9 genome editing.
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Sida Li
MHS Student
I am developing transgenic Anopheles mosquitoes to resist Plasmodium infection.
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Bijun Ling
ScM Student
I am studying the role of the Loqs factor in the Aedes aegypti siRNA pathway.
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Emelia Pearson
ScM Student
I am developing and studying transgenic Anopheles mosquitoes that can’t survive Plasmodium infection.
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Chenxi Sun
ScM Student
I am studying the biopesticidal bacterium Chromobacterium Csp_P.
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Yuyang Wang
ScM Student
I am characterizing novel anti-Plasmodium factors in Anopheles gambiae, and studying the effects of the mosquito microbiome on parasite infection.
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Cindy Kimura
Visiting MS Student
I am studying the implication of Anopheles gambiae phenoloxidases in anti-Plasmodium defense, and characterizing the function of short peptides in mosquito biology.
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Elektra Maridaki
Visiting MS Student
I am characterizing environmental bacteria that produce mosquitocidal factors.
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Mabel Tao
Research Technologist
I am supporting a variety of projects in the GD Group.
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Mahnoor Abdullah
Research Technologist
I am supporting a variety of projects in the GD Group.
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Kekeli Woyome
BSc Trainee
I am training in mosquito functional genomics.