Jason Rasgon
Professor of Entomology and Disease Epidemiology

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W127 Millenium Science Complex
University Park, PA 16802 - jlr54@psu.edu
- 814-863-3668
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 Malaria Genes Infection Arthropods Anopheles Anopheles Gambiae Viruses Parasites Gene Editing Virus Diseases Methodology Insecticides Culex Genome Mosquito Control Mosquito Vectors Microbiota Bites And Stings Plasmodium Berghei Cryopreservation Alpha Mannosidase MosquitoMost Recent Papers
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
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
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
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
Leaning Into the Bite
Vanessa M. Macias, Umberto Palatini, Mariangela Bonizzoni, Jason L. Rasgon, 2021, Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology
Simulated vector transmission differentially influences dynamics of two viral variants of deformed wing virus in honey bees (Apis mellifera)
Allyson M. Ray, Sheldon L. Davis, Jason L. Rasgon, Christina M. Grozinger, 2021, Journal of General Virology
A mosquito small RNA genomics resource reveals dynamic evolution and host responses to viruses and transposons
Qicheng Ma, Satyam P. Srivastav, Stephanie Gamez, Gargi Dayama, Fabiana Feitosa-Suntheimer, Edward I. Patterson, Rebecca M. Johnson, Erik M. Matson, Alexander S. Gold, Douglas E. Brackney, John H. Connor, Tonya M. Colpitts, Grant L. Hughes, Jason L. Rasgon, Tony Nolan, Omar S. Akbari, Nelson C. Lau, 2021, Genome Research on p. 512-528
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
Transinfection
G. L. Hughes, J. L. Rasgon, 2014, Insect Molecular Biology on p. 141-151
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
Wolbachia strain wAlbB enhances infection by the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes
Grant L. Hughes, Joel Vega-Rodriguez, Ping Xue, Jason L. Rasgon, 2012, Applied and Environmental Microbiology on p. 1491-1495
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
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
News Articles Featuring Jason Rasgon
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.
Full Article
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.
Full Article
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.
Full Article
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.
Full Article
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.
Full Article
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.
Full Article
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.
Full Article
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.
Full Article
Sep 17, 2019
Study on DNA spread by genetically modified mosquitoes prompts backlash
For 10 years, the company Oxitec has been testing whether genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes can suppress populations of their natural brethren, which carry devastating viruses such as Zika and dengue. Its strategy: Deploy (nonbiting) male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes bearing a gene that should doom most of their offspring before adulthood.
Full Article
Aug 27, 2019
Graphene film promising for blocking mosquitoes
Health officials are touting a new protection against bloodsucking insects amid reports of a rare mosquito-borne disease that has infected four people in Massachusetts, killing one woman.
Full Article