Dr. Bianca Burini is an Assistant Professor in the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory at University of Florida and a new member of the Warren B. Nelms Institute for the Connected World.

Dr. Burini’s research centers around combatting vector-borne diseases, which are transferred through blood-feeding anthropods like mosquitos. The research encompasses a diverse array of pathogens, including those responsible for diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, along with their vectors, the mosquitoes from the genus Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex.

“My research is dedicated to conducting basic research aimed at developing cutting-edge technologies to combat vector-borne diseases. Utilizing genetic engineering as our primary tool, it seeks to understand the dynamics of host-pathogen interactions and understand the molecular mechanisms underlying disease transmission. Through this understanding, we will engineer novel transgenes and refine existing tools to design more effective strategies for mosquito population suppression and population replacement. Artificial Intelligence could enable the use of transgenic mosquitoes as biosensors and aid in applications that benefit the global population using strategies that weren’t possible before.”

Find more information on Dr. Burini’s homepage.