Development of repressible sterility in pest fruit flies for chemical-free pest control
PhD Research
Start Date: 1st October 2012
Funding:
The studentship is funded for 4 years by the BBSRC and includes payment of tuition fees and a tax free maintenance stipend for UK applicants. EU students are only eligible to have their tuition fees paid unless they have been resident in the UK for three years prior to the start date of the programme and then they are also entitled to receive the maintenance stipend. Unfortunately, overseas applicants are not eligible to apply.
Primary Supervisor: Dr Helen White-Cooper (Cardiff School of Biosciences)
Secondary Supervisor: Luke Alphey (Oxitec)
Project details:
The pressures on agriculture to produce pest-free food at low cost to the environment make the need for chemical-free pest control increasingly urgent. One attractive method is the sterile insect technique (SIT), which involves mass-rearing, sterilisation and mass-release of pest insects to compete with wild insects for mates [1]. When wild females mate with the sterile males they have fewer offspring and, if enough sterile male insects are released over a sufficient time period, the wild population will crash. Irradiation of insects, though, can reduce their health, and thus effectiveness [2]. Using transgenic technology known as RIDL (Release of Insects carrying a Dominant Lethal), we can overcome these obstacles [3]. This project aims to overcome the negative impact of irradiation by engineering repressible male sterility in the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly), a globally important pest.
In a long-standing collaborative project between Oxitec Ltd (www.oxitec.com) and Helen White-Cooper (Cardiff University), we have identified genes expressed in spermatogenesis and tested a number of regulatory sequences (e.g. promoters, introns, enhancers, UTRs) for their ability to regulate expression of downstream genes (e.g. fluorescent and/or effector proteins) in a spatial and temporal manner. The student will continue this collaboration and engineer repressible male sterile RIDL strains using these characterised regulatory sequences to drive expression of effectors via a repressible intermediate. The effectors will also be used to mark sperm and allow detection of RIDL sperm in wild females in the field for monitoring [4]. The male sterility will be combined with transgenic sexing strains already developed in Medfly [5], resulting in a strain that provides automated male-only selection and male sterility after release into the field. The student will assess strains for effectiveness, productivity in mass-rearing and field performance.
This 4-year CASE project is funded by the BBSRC, and the BBSRC stipend (currently £13,590 p/a) will be supplemented by at least £3,250 p/a from Oxitec Ltd.
Please direct informal enquires to Dr Helen White-Cooper (white-cooperh@cf.ac.uk) or Dr. Luke Alphey (luke.alphey@oxitec.com).
Eligibility criteria:
The applicant must be eligible for UK/EU fee status and should be highly motivated, capable of independent work. The applicant should hold a First or Upper Second Class Honours BSc degree and/or a Masters degree, or equivalent degree in Biological Sciences, Biochemistry or a related subject. The project will range from molecular biology, cell biology and insect rearing studies through to field work. Previous experience in one or more of these areas is required. If English is not the applicant's native language an English Language qualification, such as IELTS is required. For IELTS, an average score of 6.5 is required with a minimum score of 6 in each element.
How to apply:
To apply, complete the online application form at: http://www.cf.ac.uk/regis/general/applyonline/index.html. Any queries regarding the application procedure, please contact Mrs Swapna Khandavalli (KhandavalliS@cf.ac.uk).