Neil Lobo
Investigator
Neil Lobo, Research Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, focuses on research regarding mosquito-borne disease transmission. He has worked on the entomology and epidemiology of diseases like malaria and Dengue, including transgenics, genomics, vector species compositions, vector bionomics, control strategies, intervention evaluation, vector population biology, and, human behavior and epidemiology spanning laboratory to field conditions. Research is directed towards collecting evidence that both elucidates the understanding of, and, directs decision making, strategies and policy towards protecting the world’s most vulnerable people from these diseases.
The Lobo lab research supports several international ministry of health malaria programs in making evidence-driven decisions on vector control strategy and intervention selection, to include operational approaches and priority indicators to expand understanding of local vector bionomics, identify gaps in protection with current vector control interventions, and investigate drivers of transmission in combination with epidemiological and other meta-data. In turn, this data will help programs tailor solutions, reduce vector populations and human-vector contact, and drive down transmission using a minimum capacity-based dataset towards maximum impact.
Over the last 20 years, his lab has conducted research in many countries, including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Solomon Islands, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mali, Namibia, Mozambique, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia.
This project is made possible thanks to Unitaid funding and support. Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, effectively, and for affordable prices, in low- and middle-income countries. Unitaid’s work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID Tools Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.