A researcher from Keele University has received funding to develop new ways to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases and viruses.

Dr Shivanand Hegde will receive £123,340 from The Academy of Medical Sciences, with grants given out to 54 'exceptional' biomedical and health researchers through the Springboard scheme.

The funding will allow Dr Hegde to build on his previous research in the field by investigating the interactions between gut bacteria found in mosquitos, and the diseases and viruses the insects carry, with the aim of developing new control tools to block transmission to humans and other animals.

Dr Hegde said: "Mosquitoes carry several disease-causing viruses that pose a major threat to the public health. Malaria alone is responsible for 400,000 deaths per year, while around 40% of the world population is at risk of dengue virus infection, and 84 countries are affected by zika virus infection. These alarming numbers show that mosquitoes spread disease rapidly and there is an urgent need for intervention."

The research project will focus on the sugar molecules that are present on the surface of beneficial bacteria, which live in the mosquito gut and help the insect to digest food and fight infections. Dr Hegde will investigate how these molecules interact with viruses and mosquitoes, which could have a potential impact on the outcome of the transmission of diseases to humans. This research could pave the way for developing new tools to reduce the spread of diseases from mosquitos.

Dr Hegde added: "I am absolutely delighted to have received this prestigious award, which will help support vital research into increasingly important mosquito-borne diseases, a major threat to public health around the world.

"By understanding the molecular mechanisms that governs interplay between mosquito gut microbiome and viruses they transmit, we can develop vector control tools to block the transmission of viruses by mosquitoes."

Springboard provides awards of up-to £125,000 to help newly independent biomedical scientists to launch their research careers. The programme is supported by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), The Wellcome Trust, British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK.