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Joel Vega-Rodriguez

@jvr-lab.bsky.social

426 followers 807 following 19 posts

Malaria and mosquito scientist at the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, NIAID, NIH. 🇵🇷🏳️‍🌈🦟🔬🧑🏽‍🔬🏐🏋🏽

Joel Vega-Rodriguez @jvr-lab.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

Enjoying a beer with my friend Gabi in a beautiful Aachen afternoon. It was great to see you. Thank you for the invitation and the great time. 👩🏼‍🔬🧑🏽‍🔬 🦠 🦟 🔬 🧬 @gabrielepradel.bsky.social

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Joel Vega-Rodriguez @jvr-lab.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Exited to deliver the keynote address together with Markus Ganter at the @spp2225.bsky.social EXIT Workshop in beautiful Aachen, Germany. Thank you @gabrielepradel.bsky.social for the invitation and hospitality. 👨🏽‍🔬 🦟 🦠 🩸🔬 @rwth.bsky.social @dfg.de @niaidnews.bsky.social

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Joel Vega-Rodriguez @jvr-lab.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

New review alert-Mosquito saliva does more than just help them feed—it also influences blood responses in the midgut, enhancing Plasmodium transmission. Could targeting saliva proteins be the key to blocking disease spread? #Malaria #Mosquito #VectorControl www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Mosquito responses to modulate the host's blood humoral and cellular responses in the mosquito midgut. After blood ingestion, the human hemostatic and immune responses in the blood bolus remain active. Mosquitoes employ both early and late strategies to counter these host responses and protect the midgut epithelium: 1. Early responses – Mosquito ingests saliva containing bioactive proteins, such as apyrase and AAPP, that inhibit platelet aggregation, NETosis, and other host hemostatic and immune activities. 2. Late responses - The formation of the peritrophic matrix shields the midgut epithelium from microbes, free heme, and other toxic blood components. Additionally, the ingested blood stimulates gene expression, activating pathways for nutrient uptake, metabolic adaptation, and immune defense.

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