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Staff Profile: Hilary Ranson
Appointment: Professor in Medical Entomology
Areas of Interest: Mosquito control, insecticide resistance, entomological surveillance in disease control
Background
I obtained a BSc in Biology from the University of York (1991) an MSc in Medical Parasitology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (1992) and a PhD in Molecular Entomology from Cardiff University (1996). A Wellcome Trust International Travelling Fellowship took me to the University of Notre Dame, USA for two years This was followed by a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship, held at Cardiff University and subsequently transferred to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 2001. I spent a brief period at Imperial College London from 2005 to 2006 and then returned to the Vector Group at LSTM in 2007.
Teaching
I participate in the teaching of the Masters programmes in Biology and Control of Parasites and Disease Vectors and Molecular Biology of Parasites and Disease Vectors and in the Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene at LSTM. I also teach on the BSc programme in Tropical Biology (University of Liverpool) and act as an occasional guest lecturer at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Research
My research activities encompass various aspects related to the control of mosquito vectors of human disease. I have a particular interest in the causes and consequences of insecticide resistance and my group have been using a variety of molecular approaches to study the mechanisms of insecticide resistance in Anopheles and Aedes mosquitoes. Field studies are exploring the impact of this resistance on malaria and dengue control programmes. I was coordinator of the TDR network on study insecticide resistance in African malaria vectors from 2008-2011. This network consisted of LSTM and partners in six African countries and developed a set of standardised protocols for vector population monitoring and for determining the levels of insecticide susceptibility in sentinel sites in each country, in addition to conducting more detailed research into resistance mechanisms.
AvecNet FP7 Africa-2010
I am the coordinator of a European Union FP7 collaborative project, involving 15 partner institutes in Africa and Europe to develop and evaluate new tools for malaria vector control, and to ensure the future sustainability of existing control activities. Further details can be found at www.avecnet.eu
Insecticide Testing Facility
With funding from IVCC, we have recently established a new unit dedicated to the testing of insecticide based products for commercial partners. The insecticide testing facility (ITF) maintains a range of insecticide susceptible and resistant colonies of mosquitoes, many unique to LSTM, and offer an number of alternative protocols for insecticide efficacy testing. For further information, please contact John Gilmour jgilmour@liverpool.ac.uk
Staff and Students:
Mr Edi Constant: PhD student: Genetics of multiple insecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae from Côte d’Ivoire and its impact on current control strategies
Mr John Gilmour: Manager, Insecticide Testing Facility
Ms Angela Hughes: Senior Technician: Vector Group Lab manager and Medical and Veterinary Entomology Editorial Assistant
Mr Toe Kobie Hyacinthe: PhD student: Characterisation of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors from Valle de Kou, Burkina Faso and its impact on current control strategies
Dr Chris Jones: Research Assistant: Mechanisms and impact of insecticide resistance
Mr John Morgan: Senior Technician: Vector population monitoring in lab and field
Ms Patricia Pignatelli: Research Assistant: Insecticide uptake and metabolism
Dr Rodolphe Poupardin: Research Assistant: Mechanisms and impact of insecticide resistance
Ms Claudia Witzig: PhD student: Genetic mapping of pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors
Dr Eve Worrall: Project Manager, AvecNet.
Primary grants:
- European Commission, AvecNet: New tools for malaria vector control (FP7-Africa-2010). 2011-2016. Coordinator.
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Innovative Vector Control Consortium, Insecticide Testing Facility. 2011-2016, PI
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Wellcome Trust, Improving dengue control in Colombia by optimizing the selection of insecticides (Masters Training Fellowship for Nelson Grisales) 2010-2012. Co-sponsor with Dr Audrey Lenhart.
- Wellcome Trust, Impact of urbanisation on malaria vector population dynamics in two major cities in Cameroon (Intermediate Fellowship for Antonio Christophe) 2010-2014. Co-sponsor with Dr Charles Wondji
- Wellcome Trust, Population genetics of malaria vectors in the Islands of Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania and the implications for the spread of insecticide resistance: (Wellcome Masters Fellowship for Deodatus Maliti) 2009-2011.Co sponsor with Dr Gerry Killeen
Other relevant expertise, professional memberships etc.
- Board Member, MRC Infection and Immunity Panel
- Member of Multilateral Initiative on Malaria, Research Capacity Strengthening Grant Committee
- Member Scientific Working Group, VectorBase
- Editor, Medical and Veterinary Entomology
- Member of the Editorial Board of Insect Molecular Biology and Malaria Journal
- STEM Ambassador
Recent Publications
Jones, Christopher, Machin, Camille, Mohammed, Khalfan, Majambere, Silas, Ali, Abdullah S, Khatib, Bakari O, Mcha, Juma, Ranson, Hilary and Kelly-Hope, Louise A. (2012) 'Insecticide resistance in Culex quinquefasciatus from Zanzibar: implications for vector control programmes'. Parasites & Vectors, Vol 5, Issue 1, p. 78.
Mitchell, S. N., Stevenson, B. J., Muller, P., Wilding, C. S., Egyir-Yawson, A., Field, S. G., Hemingway, Janet, Paine, M. J. I., Ranson, H. and Donnelly, M. J. (2012) 'Identification and validation of a gene causing cross-resistance between insecticide classes in Anopheles gambiae from Ghana'. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol 109, Issue 16, pp. 6147-6152.
Jones, Christopher, Liyanapathirana, Milindu, Agossa, Fiacre R., Weetman, David, Ranson, Hilary, Donnelly, Martin James and Wilding, Craig (2012) 'Footprints of positive selection associated with a mutation (N1575Y) in the voltage-gated sodium channel of Anopheles gambiae'. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Jones, Christopher M., Sanou, Antoine, Guelbeogo, Wamdaogo M., Sagnon, N'Fale, Johnson, Paul C. D. and Ranson, Hilary (2012) 'Aging partially restores the efficacy of malaria vector control in insecticide-resistant populations of Anopheles gambiae s.l. from Burkina Faso'. Malaria Journal, Vol 11, Issue 1, p. 24.
Bisset, J. A., Rodríquez, M. M., Ricardo, Y., Ranson, Hilary, Pérez, O., Moya, M. and Vázquez, A. (2011) 'Temephos resistance and esterase activity in the mosquito Aedes aegypti in Havana, Cuba increased dramatically between 2006 and 2008'. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Vol 25, Issue 3, pp. 233-239.
Selected Publications:
Ranson H, N'guessan R, Lines J, Moiroux N, Nkuni Z, Corbel V Pyrethroid resistance in African anopheline mosquitoes: what are the implications for malaria control? (2011) Trends in Parasitol. 27, 91-8
Rajatileka S, Burhani J and Ranson H. (2011) Mosquito age and susceptibility to insecticides. Trans Roy Soc Trop Med 105 247-53.
Lumjuan N, Rajatileka S, Changsom D, Wicheer J, Leelapat P, Prapanthadara LA, Somboon P, Lycett G, Ranson H. (2011) The role of the Aedes aegypti Epsilon glutathione transferases in conferring resistance to DDT and pyrethroid insecticides. Insect Biochem and Mol Biol, 41, 203-9.
Harris A, Rajatileka S and Ranson, H. (2010) Pyrethroid resistance in Aedes aegypti from the Grand Cayman. AJTMH 83 (2) 277-84.
Ranson, H, Abdallah, H, Badolo, A, Guelbeogo, WM, Kerha-Hinzoumbe, C, Yangalbe-Kalnone, E, Sagnon, N, Simard, F and Coetzee M. (2009) Insecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae: data from the first year of a multi-country study highlight the extent of the problem. Malaria J 8 299.
Ranson, H, Burhani J Lumjuan L and Black WC IV (2009) Insecticide resistance in dengue vectors. Tropika Reviews Vol 1.
Wondji CS, Irving H, Morgan J, Lobo NF, Collins FH, Hunt RH, Coetzee M, Hemingway J and Ranson H. (2009) Two duplicated P450 genes are associated with pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles funestus, a major malaria vector. Genome Research, 19 452-9.
