- February 05, 2026
- By Maryland Today Staff
University of Maryland researchers have joined a team that will compare how cells in mosquitoes and ticks pass along messages, which could lead to new, common methods for controlling both pests and reduce the risk they’ll spread diseases like malaria and Lyme.
Utpal Pal, a professor in the Department of Veterinary Medicine, is collaborating with Shirley Luckhart from the University of Idaho and Stephen Dumler from the Uniformed Services University on a four-year, $2.7 million Department of Defense grant to evaluate similarities and differences between a pair of signaling pathways in the cells of both blood-feeders. The project will also analyze how these pathways affect transmission of important disease-causing microbes.
In addition to Utpal Pal, other UMD researchers include Assistant Research Scientist Vipin Singh Rana and Assistant Research Professor Chrysoula Kitsou.
A cellular signaling pathway is like a relay system inside a cell, starting when a hormone or chemical binds to a receptor on the cell surface. This triggers a chain of events inside the cell, passing a message specific to that hormone or chemical through different molecules. When the message reaches the target—usually the DNA—it causes a cellular response, such as turning on genes. In the case of ticks or mosquitoes, this may result in a change in the pest’s behavior and ability to transmit disease-causing microbes.
The research has multiple ramifications for human health. The pathways the researchers will be evaluating are also present in humans, and the findings should shed light on how they evolved in primitive organisms. Ticks are primary vectors for Lyme, tularemia, spotted fever and other diseases, and mosquitoes carry malaria, Dengue fever and many other pathogens.
This article was adapted from a University of Idaho’s news item.