With 3D printing and machine learning software, a new type of synthetic skin is expected to solve the mystery of mosquito-borne deadly diseases.
CTOnews.com Feb. 13-Tulane University and Rice University are conducting a new study aimed at understanding the potential of fake skin (hydrogel) in research: Can it solve the mystery of mosquito transmission of deadly diseases? Which insect repellent is most effective? The study was published recently in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology.
The research team will trap mosquitoes with a handheld vacuum cleaner and release them into transparent plastic boxes. After adjusting to their new environment, mosquitoes smell blood and rush to the blood vessels running bright red under their transparent synthetic skin to start feeding.
Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is responsible for breeding more than 1000 mosquitoes a week and using a 3D printer to make hydrogels. Rice University bioengineers are responsible for developing hydrogel materials and machine learning software that can analyze videos of mosquitoes feeding and identify patterns. AI can also be used to track and classify mosquito bite positions and the time it takes to feed.
The hydrogel created an excellent environment, and DEET and plant repellents repelled mosquitoes and lured them to the hydrogel skin, regardless of their species, the study found.
CTOnews.com has learned that mosquitoes are not only annoying, but one of the most dangerous animals in the world. They are vectors for deadly diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, Zika and yellow fever. According to the World Health Organization, mosquito-borne diseases kill about 725000 people each year.
By producing hydrogels with different vascular structures, humans 'ability to study disease transmission mechanisms and test new insect repellents will be greatly enhanced. The researchers say that if the process can be studied in a more nuanced way, without using animals, it may be possible to block the spread of the disease.
