Research Focus

Our research focuses on the improvement of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), which is one of the effective and environment-friendly methods used to fight Tephritid fruit flies of agricultural importance. Biotechnological approaches, such as the use of transgenes, have the potential to achieve male-only production of flies and thus enhance the field efficiency and cost-effectiveness of SIT programmes. We aim at using suitable transgenes to establish an inducible and early-acting sexing system first in the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata , and then extend this to other agriculturally important Tephritid species.