Esmeralda Herrero graduated from University College Dublin (UCD) with a BSc in Pharmacology and completed a PhD in Microbiology in University College Dublin. Her research investigated bacterial proteases and their role in prion decontamination and was filed into a UK patent in 2015. Following her PhD, Esmeralda worked for a year as research and development scientist for a novel biotech company before her role as scientific officer in virology in airmid healthgroup.
Esmeralda has over 5 years research experience in mammalian cell culture, molecular biology, bacterial culturing, infectious assays, protein purification, protein biochemistry and laboratory management
Tristan graduated from the University of Leeds with a BSc in Microbiology. During his degree, Tristan completed a one-year internship at a pharmaceutical company where he gained experience of working in an industrial laboratory. Tristan moved to Ireland in 2014 after choosing to study for a PhD at University College Dublin. The PhD research used molecular biology techniques to study infectious disease, specifically host-virus interactions. Tristan recently graduated from his PhD and joined the virology team at airmid healthgroup in the spring of 2019.
Kevin is in his third year at DCU where he has been studying Genetics and Cell biology. He is working in the Environmental Chambers under the supervision of Jake Behan.
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Sometimes people can mix up these indoor pests, so this blog post will describe some of the differences between the two.
Earlier this month some of our team travelled to LA to present our latest bed bug research at the 2016 AAAAI Conference. The conference is the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. We were delighted to continue the tradition of presenting at this prestigious gathering of experts. This year the conference was held in the Los Angeles Convention Center.
This method involves petri dishes, a heating plate/mat and a plastic membrane - Parafilm ‘M’. A small amount of blood is placed into the lid of a petri dish, which is then covered with stretched parafilm ‘M’ plastic. The bottom of the petri dish is used to push down the parafilm so that it is in contact with the blood. A hotplate is used to keep the temperature of the blood at 37°C and the insect containers are placed upside down on the parafilm so that the bed bugs can feed through the mesh lid. The petri dish method shares some disadvantages with the water bath method, such as expensive heating equipment and the leaking of blood. While leakage may occur, one of the advantages of the petri dish method is that there is a reduced risk of this leaking blood causing damage e.g. bed bug drowning. Other advantages include its quick setup and the use of disposable petri dishes (Chin-Heady et al. 2013).Last week, we discussed the most effective bed bug feeding method—the live host method using human and animal blood—as well as its shortcomings. In this week's installment of our three-part series on bed bug research, we will cover the first of the two main artificial feeding methods in use today: the water bath method.
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Goddard. Feeding by the Common Bedbug. 2009. |
In the first part of our three-part series on bed bug research, we will cover the most effective method of feeding laboratory reared bed bug colonies in terms of cost and reliability—the live host method. Humans or animals can be used and while both methods are effective, each presents its own challenges.
It’s summer—the prime time of the year for travel. Yet, with the hustle and bustle of hotels, luggage, airports, and rental cars, summer travelling also starkly correlates with rises in bed bug problems. To assist in tackling this issue, airmid healthgroup presents a special three-part blog series to provide advice to researchers looking to combat the spread of these insects. Over the nextthreeweeks, airmid healthgroup will discuss methods to keep bed bugs alive for research and their associated challenges.
