About the Arthropod Cell Screening Facility (ACSF)

The ACSF is a technological and research innovation facility primarily focused on arthropod-related research. 

We have a broad vision for future impact, as the technologies we are advancing have relevance to food security, human health, forestry, and other areas. Key areas of relevance include:

• Mosquito-borne disease and mosquito control
• Tick-borne disease and tick control
• Control of crop pests and other arthropod pests
• Control of arthropod vectors of plant diseases
• Pollinator health

Our central focus is the development and application of genome-scale CRISPR-Cas cell screening platforms in arthropod cell lines. This technology brings state-of-the-art molecular genetic approaches to species of strong human health and food security interest for which such tools have historically been lacking.

As part of this work, we have developed first-of-their kind genome-scale CRISPR-Cas cell screening platforms for the model insect Drosophila melanogaster, the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles gambiae, Aedes genus mosquitos (vectors of viruses such as West Nile and Zika), the crop pest Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm), and the Lyme vector tick Ixodes scapularis. 

The work of the ACSF builds upon and extends work initiated in the Drosophila RNAi Screening Facility (DRSC), which for 20 years supported genome-wide Drosophila cell-based studies using the DRSC RNAi screening platform and later extended focus to other technologies, an expanded suite of online tools, and CRISPR screening. The legacy DRSC website can be accessed at https://fgr.hms.harvard.edu/.