The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston · Microbiology & ImmunologyAedes aegypti Adaptation Lab
Laura B Dickson · Galveston, Texas
Research Focus
Dr. Laura B. Dickson's lab focuses on understanding how the adaptation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito to low humidity affects its ability to spread diseases like Zika and dengue. By investigating the physiological and genetic changes that occur in these mosquitoes under dry conditions, the lab aims to uncover new ways to develop effective control measures against vector-borne diseases. Their research combines field studies with molecular biology techniques to explore the relationship between environmental factors and virus transmission.
Aedes aegyptidesiccation toleranceZika virusdengue virusvector competence
Research Aims
5AIM 01Identify changes in midgut physiology that facilitate virus infection under desiccation stress.
AIM 02Investigate metabolic processes linking desiccation tolerance and midgut infection.
AIM 03Validate findings in naturally adapted mosquito populations from the U.S.
AIM 04Examine the role of specific genes in desiccation tolerance and infection susceptibility.
AIM 05Explore how environmental factors affect vector-borne disease transmission.
Skills the Lab Values
molecular biologygenetic analysismetabolomicsfield studiescell culture
Output against the department
Publications38bottom 6% of dept.456th of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations1.2kbottom 7% of dept.450th of 486
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.