Tibebu Habtewold (UK)
Affiliation
Biography
Entomologist at Imperial College London with 21 years of work experience. Presently, working on genetic engineering of Anopheles gambiae carrying anti-Plasmodium effectors for replacement of wild population using gene drive. In this role also, he designed and tested a modular high-security facility for field testing of transgenic mosquitoes at Ifakara Health Institute (Bagamoyo, Tanzania).
Previously, he led projects focusing on building entomological research capacity at academic institutions in Uganda and Ethiopia.
Expertise
Vector-entomologist; Anopheles Ecologist, molecular biologist, Research Capacity builder, entomological innovator.
Key Publication References
Habtewold T et al Plasmodium oocysts respond with dormancy to crowding and nutritional stress Sci Rep 11, 3090 2021
Hoermann A, Tapanelli S, Capriotti P, Del Corsano G, Masters EK, Habtewold T, Christophides GK & Windbichler N 2021 Converting endogenous genes of the malaria mosquito into simple non-autonomous gene drives for population replacement eLife 10 e58791
Eba K, Habtewold T, Yewhalaw D et al Anopheles arabiensis hotspots along intermittent rivers drive malaria dynamics in semi-arid areas of Central Ethiopia Malar J 20 154 2021
Habtewold T, Christophides GK et al Stability of the effect of silencing fibronectin type III domain-protein 1 (FN3D1) gene on Anopheles arabiensis reared under different breeding site conditions Parasites Vectors 13, 202 2020
Habtewold T et al The effect of silencing immunity related genes on longevity in the naturally occurring Anopheles arabiensis mosquito population of Southwest Ethiopia. Parasites Vectors 2019 12: 174
Habtewold T et al Streamlined SMFA and mosquito dark-feeding regime significantly improve malaria transmission-blocking assay robustness and sensitivity 2019 Malaria Journal, 18(1)
Habtewold T et al Immune resistance and tolerance strategies in malaria vector and non-vector mosquitoes. Parasites & Vectors 2017: 186