Jason Rasgon

Professor of Entomology and Disease Epidemiology

Jason Rasgon

Research Summary

Integrating population biology, ecology, molecular tools and theory to address fundamental and applied questions related to vector arthropods and the pathogens they transmit.

Huck Graduate Students

Huck Affiliations

Publication Tags

Culicidae Wolbachia Pathogens Genes Anopheles Viruses Arthropods Infections Infection Gene Editing Malaria Methodology Insecticides Virus Diseases Culex Anopheles Gambiae Mosquito Control Alpha Mannosidase Cryopreservation Microbiota Bacteria Genome Mosquito Vectors Animal Pathogens Insecta

Most Recent Publications

Sexual transmission of Anopheles gambiae densovirus (AgDNV) leads to disseminated infection in mated females

Kristine L. Werling, Rebecca M. Johnson, Hillery C. Metz, Jason L. Rasgon, 2022, Parasites and Vectors

Characterization of Mayaro virus (strain BeAn343102) biology in vertebrate and invertebrate cellular backgrounds

Sujit Pujhari, Marco Brustolin, Chan C. Heu, Ronald Smithwick, Mireia Larrosa, Susan Hafenstein, Jason L. Rasgon, 2022, Journal of General Virology

Assessing Aedes aegypti candidate genes during viral infection and Wolbachia-mediated pathogen blocking

Leah T. Sigle, Matthew Jones, Mario Novelo, Suzanne A. Ford, Nadya Urakova, Konstantinos Lymperopoulos, Richard T. Sayre, Zhiyong Xi, Jason L. Rasgon, Elizabeth A. McGraw, 2022, Insect Molecular Biology on p. 356-368

Cas9-mediated gene editing in the black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis, by embryo injection and ReMOT Control

Arvind Sharma, Michael N. Pham, Jeremiah B. Reyes, Randeep Chana, Won C. Yim, Chan C. Heu, Donghun Kim, Duverney Chaverra-Rodriguez, Jason L. Rasgon, Robert A. Harrell, Andrew B. Nuss, Monika Gulia-Nuss, 2022, iScience

Transcriptomic and small RNA response to Mayaro virus infection in Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes

Cory Henderson, Marco Brustolin, Shivanand Hegde, Gargi Dayama, Nelson Lau, Grant L. Hughes, Christina Bergey, Jason L. Rasgon, 2022, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases

A microfluidic platform for highly parallel bite by bite profiling of mosquito-borne pathogen transmission

Shailabh Kumar, Felix J.H. Hol, Sujit Pujhari, Clayton Ellington, Haripriya Vaidehi Narayanan, Hongquan Li, Jason L. Rasgon, Manu Prakash, 2021, Nature Communications

Combating mosquito-borne diseases using genetic control technologies

Guan Hong Wang, Stephanie Gamez, Robyn R. Raban, John M. Marshall, Luke Alphey, Ming Li, Jason L. Rasgon, Omar S. Akbari, 2021, Nature Communications

Clotting disorder in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

Sujit Pujhari, Sanjeeta Paul, Jasmina Ahluwalia, Jason L. Rasgon, 2021, Reviews in Medical Virology

Towards a method for cryopreservation of mosquito vectors of human pathogens

Emily N. Gallichotte, Karen M. Dobos, Gregory D. Ebel, Mary Hagedorn, Jason L. Rasgon, Jason H. Richardson, Timothy T. Stedman, Jennifer P. Barfield, 2021, Cryobiology on p. 1-10

Whole-genome assembly of Culex tarsalis

Bradley J. Main, Matteo Marcantonio, J. Spencer Johnston, Jason L. Rasgon, C. Titus Brown, Christopher M. Barker, 2021, G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics

Most-Cited Papers

Harnessing mosquito-Wolbachia symbiosis for vector and disease control

Kostas Bourtzis, Stephen L. Dobson, Zhiyong Xi, Jason L. Rasgon, Maurizio Calvitti, Luciano A. Moreira, Hervé C. Bossin, Riccardo Moretti, Luke Anthony Baton, Grant L. Hughes, Patrick Mavingui, Jeremie R.L. Gilles, 2014, Acta Tropica on p. S150-S163

Native microbiome impedes vertical transmission of Wolbachia in Anopheles mosquitoes

Grant L. Hughes, Brittany L. Dodson, Rebecca M. Johnson, Courtney C. Murdock, Hitoshi Tsujimoto, Yasutsugu Suzuki, Alyssa A. Patt, Long Cui, Carlos W. Nossa, Rhiannon M. Barry, Joyce M. Sakamoto, Emily A. Hornett, Jason L. Rasgon, 2014, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 12498-12503

Wolbachia Enhances West Nile Virus (WNV) Infection in the Mosquito Culex tarsalis

Brittany L. Dodson, Grant L. Hughes, Oluwatobi Paul, Amy C. Matacchiero, Laura D. Kramer, Jason L. Rasgon, 2014, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases

The microbiome modulates arbovirus transmission in mosquitoes

Shivanand Hegde, Jason L. Rasgon, Grant L. Hughes, 2015, Current Opinion in Virology on p. 97-102

Targeted delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoprotein into arthropod ovaries for heritable germline gene editing

Duverney Chaverra-Rodriguez, Vanessa M. Macias, Grant L. Hughes, Sujit Pujhari, Yasutsugu Suzuki, David R. Peterson, Donghun Kim, Sage McKeand, Jason L. Rasgon, 2018, Nature Communications

Transinfection: A method to investigate Wolbachia-host interactions and control arthropod-borne disease

G. L. Hughes, J. L. Rasgon, 2014, Insect Molecular Biology on p. 141-151

Temperature alters Plasmodium blocking by Wolbachia

Courtney C. Murdock, Simon Blanford, Grant L. Hughes, Jason L. Rasgon, Matthew B. Thomas, 2014, Scientific Reports

Gene drive for mosquito control: Where did it come from and where are we headed?

Vanessa M. Macias, Johanna R. Ohm, Jason L. Rasgon, 2017, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Impact of trehalose transporter knockdown on Anopheles gambiae stress adaptation and susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum infection

Kun Liu, Yuemei Dong, Yuzheng Huang, Jason L. Rasgon, Peter Agre, 2013, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 17504-17509

Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) mediates Zika virus entry, replication, and egress from host cells

Sujit Pujhari, Marco Brustolin, Vanessa M. Macias, Ruth H. Nissly, Masashi Nomura, Suresh V. Kuchipudi, Jason L. Rasgon, 2019, Emerging Microbes and Infections on p. 8-16

News Articles Featuring Jason Rasgon

Nov 08, 2022

Faculty in College of Ag Sciences recognized for research achievements

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences lauded outstanding accomplishments in research during the college’s inaugural Research Awards Ceremony, held Oct. 25 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus.

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Jul 12, 2022

Rasgon named Huck Chair of Disease Epidemiology and Biotechnology

Jason Rasgon, professor of entomology and disease epidemiology, has been named Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Disease Epidemiology and Biotechnology.

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May 25, 2022

Injecting Cockroaches with CRISPR Gene Edits Their Offspring

A new method has allowed researchers to conduct the first gene knock-out and knock-in edits on cockroaches and may extend to many other insects.

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Mar 16, 2022

Huck Students Receive Alumni Awards

Two Huck IGDP students have been recognized as part of the 2021-22 Graduate School Alumni Association faculty and student awards in the Life & Health Sciences section.

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Feb 16, 2022

Scientists develop gene-editing tools that may decrease tick-borne disease

In May 2021, scientists released the first batch of genetically-altered mosquitoes in the Florida Keys as part of a project to combat disease-carrying insects.The mosquitoes, modified versions of the Aedes aegypti species, is associated with several diseases, including Zika and yellow fever. Experts say using modified insects to control populations provides an alternative to insecticides, which some mosquitoes are evolving to develop immunity towards.

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Feb 15, 2022

World’s first gene editing tools for ticks may help decrease tick-borne diseases

Reducing tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease, may now be possible thanks to two new gene editing methods developed by researchers at Penn State; the University of Nevada, Reno; and the University of Maryland. The methods could allow scientists to alter parts of the tick genome that are involved in harboring and transmitting pathogens.

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Feb 17, 2021

Silencing the alarm

An enzyme in the saliva of certain insects prevents their food plants from warning neighboring plants of an attack.

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Sep 09, 2020

More dengue fever and less malaria – mosquito control strategies may need to shift as Africa heats up

As it becomes too warm for comfort, the Anopheles mosquitoes that transmit malaria may lose the battle against climate change in Africa. But a new foe is on the horizon.

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Aug 05, 2020

Gene-edited mosquitoes are ready for the U.S. — but is the U.S. ready for them?

In mid-June, Florida’s department of agriculture and consumer services approved a plan to release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild.

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Apr 23, 2020

Gene-editing protocol for whitefly pest opens door to control

Whiteflies are among the most important agricultural pests in the world, yet they have been difficult to genetically manipulate and control, in part, because of their small size. An international team of researchers has overcome this roadblock by developing a CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing protocol that could lead to novel control methods for this devastating pest.

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