Jesus G. Valenzuela, Ph.D.

The Vector Molecular Biology Section investigates immune responses to ticks and insect bites, focusing on acquired cellular immunity against vector arthropods. Our research examines how these immune responses help humans detect and remove ticks before they transmit pathogens. Additionally, we study how adaptive immune responses impact pathogen transmission by insects, with the goal of developing interventions to prevent insect-borne diseases and parasitic infections.

Our primary focus is on ticks, sand flies, and mosquitoes, with ticks posing a significant public health threat in the U.S. and globally. Ticks transmit various diseases to humans, pets, and livestock, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, and the Powassan virus. In the U.S., ticks surpass mosquitoes as the leading disease vector for humans and animals. Beyond infectious diseases, ticks can also trigger conditions such as red meat allergy and tick paralysis.

The section employs a multidisciplinary approach, combining immunology, biochemistry, RNA sequencing, bioinformatics, functional genomics, fieldwork, and clinical studies. One key area of research focuses on the initial immunological events in the skin after a tick or insect bite, using this knowledge to prevent pathogen transmission. Another area explores how arthropod vectors become infectious, leading to groundbreaking discoveries, such as a new developmental stage of Leishmania in the sand fly gut and the role of natural antibody IgM in parasite genetic exchange.

A critical area of ongoing research is the development of diagnostic tools to assess prior exposure to tick and insect bites in humans. These tools use salivary proteins or recombinant proteins from ticks and insects to detect antibodies in exposed individuals. Such diagnostic innovations guide vector control strategies and preventive measures. Together, these advancements aim to identify at-risk individuals and protect them from tick-borne illnesses.

Dr. Valenzuela received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Arizona in 1995. He joined the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases in 1996, became a research fellow in 1999, and became a tenure-track investigator in the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research in October 2002. Dr. Valenzuela became a Senior Investigator in October 2009. In 2019, Dr. Valenzuela became deputy chief of the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research.