Visiting Scientist from France at Green College: Roenick P. Olmo
Dr. Roenick P. Olmo earned his PhD in bioinformatics from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) in 2015, where he used molecular biology, virology and bioinformatics tools to study antiviral innate immune responses in the vector mosquito Aedes aegypti. His work primarily centered on understanding why some mosquitoes are naturally resistant to being infected with medically important viruses that cause dengue, Zika and Chikungunya fever. Later, Roenick embarked on a postdoctoral experience in Strasbourg, France, at the Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IBMC), where he investigated how insect-specific viruses (ISVs)—a distinct category of viruses that exclusively infect insects—can alter the transmission of medically important viruses during co-infection in mosquitoes. In October 2023, Roenick joined the CNRS UPR9022 unit at the IBMC/Strasbourg as an associate researcher (chargé de recherche CNRS). His ongoing projects are geared towards connecting the intricate molecular mechanisms of natural resistance to virus infections in mosquitoes, the link between mosquito anthropophilic behavior and immunity, and the development of strategies to curb transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens.
At UBC, together with the lab of Dr. Benjamin Matthews (Department of Zoology), Roenick aims to study the connection between the mosquito olfactory system and immunity, focusing on the genetic changes that led to anthropophilia in the domestic Ae. aegypti aegypti and consequently the capacity to transmit viruses (a.k.a. vector competence). They will integrate the expertise of the Matthews laboratory in mosquito neurophysiology and genetics, together with Roenick's expertise in mosquito antiviral immunity, to identify and target relevant genes within the olfactory system that might affect immunity and antiviral responses in mosquitoes. This work will shed light on the connection between olphaction and immunity, and will contribute to the development of new strategies to control arbovirus transmission by Aedes mosquitoes.
Roenick joined Green College in September 2024, and his residency was co-sponsored with the Cultural and Scientific Office of the French Embassy in Canada.