Victor Lopez del Amo
Regular Member
Assistant Professor
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
School of Public Health
Department of Epidemiology
The Lopez del Amo laboratory research program presents two different research lines:
- Investigating CRISPR-based technologies for population control: We develop and test new forms of CRISPR-based genome editing approaches to control mosquito populations and potentially reduce the burden of vector-borne diseases such as malaria. We employ Drosophila melanogaster (as a model) and different mosquito species such as the Anopheles malaria mosquito.
- Developing human disease models for biomarker investigation and drug discovery: We study rare neurodegenerative diseases such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth associated with GDAP1 mutations. We use Drosophila and cell culture to create models that can mimic the patient’s clinical symptoms. Our animal and cell culture models represent an excellent research platform to decipher molecular pathways that are altered due to gene mutations, allowing us to investigate potential molecular pathways for drug discovery.
Rotating students will have the opportunity to learn genetic engineering techniques based on CRISPR to control mosquito populations or to generate laboratory models that allow us to investigate neurodegenerative human diseases. Graduate students joining the lab will have the opportunity to lead at least 1 wet-lab project while collaborating with other students and postdocs if any opportunities arise.
Education & Training
PhD - University of Valencia