Matthew T. Eakins ’05 (right)
Eakins majored in mathematics and plans to attend the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University this fall.
Anopheles gambiae Homologues to Drosophila melanogaster Genes Highly Responsive to Malaria Surface Proteins
Mohammed Shahabuddin, assistant professor, biology
“Malaria kills two million humans every year and all attempts to eradicate this devastating disease have failed. Therefore, novel approaches are needed urgently to combat it. Blocking transmission of malaria by mosquitoes is a new idea and Matthew’s project was related to understanding the molecular basis of malaria transmission by mosquitoes. Using bioinformatics and molecular biology tools, he identified 54 mosquito genes that are highly responsive to the parasite infection. He amplified the genes from the mosquito genome, cloned them in plasmid, and determined their nucleotide sequences. The work was exciting and challenging. It required using cutting-edge techniques and the ability to combine knowledge from different fields.”
Eakins awarded a 2005 McCarthy Prize, from the biology department