Mosquito-borne Viruses | Centre For Immunology & Infection

C2i Insectarium: a unique facility unlocking new possibilities

C2i has established a state-of-the-art insectarium, which is a biosecure facility for live mosquito research in Hong Kong, using well-established and innovative protocols for insecticide resistance testing, and potential R&D in repellents and pest control strategy.

With the ability to breed mosquitoes and develop colonies, the C2i Insectarium provides a unique opportunity to study live populations of mosquitoes, screen for effective insecticides, investigate their behavior, develop control measures, and establish a unique service platform.

Addressing global issues

Climate change increases the number of arboviral infections and the footprint of vector-borne diseases.

Developing solutions is of critical importance for governments and public health agencies at a global, national, and local level.

Developing innovative and sustainable solutions for controlling vector-borne

C2iVect is a spin-off company of C2i, dedicated to the development of effective approaches to reducing transmission of vector-borne diseases, and to create transformative new tools for safe and environment-friendly interventions.

Key research staff in the team

The team have a record of accomplishment in field research, vector competence studies, basic research, pathogenesis and public health response in mosquito-borne viruses and we will leverage the world-leading expertise of our partner, the Institut Pasteur, in research on mosquito-borne virus diseases.

Tommy TY Lam (HKU) has studied evolution of vector borne diseases, and together with Benoit Guenard (HKU), has initiated a pilot project surveying mosquito vectors in Hong Kong.

Malik Peiris (HKU) has had extensive experience with research and public health response in mosquito borne diseases carried out prior to his arrival in Hong Kong.

Sumana Sanyal (University of Oxford) and Roberto Bruzzone (HKU-PRP & IP) have a record of accomplishment investigating the cell biology of dengue and Zika viruses.

Chris Mok (HKU-PRP) is a molecular virologist who has investigated the clinical and epidemiological features of the 2014 outbreak of dengue fever in Guangzhou (PR China).

Michael Chan (HKU) has developed experimental models to study the pathogenesis of viral infections.

Anna-Bella Failloux (IP) will collaborate on mosquito vector competence studies and will provide overall entomological advice.

GN Malavige (University of Sri Jayawardenepura) is a global leader in clinical research on dengue; she will provide access to clinical material from her patient cohorts in Sri Lanka and advice to the program on dengue pathogenesis.

We will collaborate with the CHP and FEHD in Hong Kong and with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Tropical Disease Prevention and Control Alliance, thereby contributing to the control of mosquito borne virus threats in the Greater Bay Area.

Investigating mosquito borne virus threats, spanning across vector biology, epidemiology, genomics, and mechanism on virus pathogenesis

Mosquito-borne viruses pose a major threat to public health in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and beyond. Abundant in Hong Kong, the Aedes albopictus mosquito is capable of transmitting a range of arboviruses, including the chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses. Although these arboviruses are not established in Hong Kong, their persistent circulation and regular outbreaks in the nearby region has raised significant concern.

Through interdisciplinary and trans-omic research of mosquitoes, viruses and their interactions with hosts, we develop novel solutions to the threats of vector-borne diseases.

Development of AI for mosquito species identification

Mosquito-borne virus detection

Insecticide resistance and repellent testing methods

Antiviral options for flavivirus infections

Modulator of vector competence in Aedes albopictus

Mosquito-borne Viruses
Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and Interventions

THE TEAM

Professor Tommy Lam

Lead Scientist

Professor Tommy Lam, Associate Professor, received his BSc (Bioinformatics) and PhD (Molecular Virology) in The University of Hong Kong, and had postdoctoral training in Pennsylvania State University and University of Oxford. His main research interest is the evolution, epidemiology and ecology of infectious diseases.

He uses integrative genomic approach to determine the patterns, drivers and mechanisms of the emergence of pathogens at human-animal interface including influenza viruses and coronaviruses, as well as some bacterial pathogens and their antibiotic resistance emergence. His research has contributed to important understanding of the origins, evolution and transmission of newly emerging pathogens such as H7N9 influenza (Nature 2013, Nature 2015), MERS coronavirus (EID2013, Science 2016) and COVID-19 coronavirus (Nature 2020). He is also leading the development of several computational methods and tools for the genomic analysis in the research community.