# Arthropod Cell Screening Facility (ACSF) ## Welcome to the Arthropod Cell Screening Facility Where cutting-edge functional genomics technology meets real-world needs related to mosquitos, ticks, crop pests, and more. ![A bee approaching a flower (photo by Alex Wild Photography)](/sites/g/files/omnuum12256/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2025-10/Apis204-X2_Apis-mellifera-labeled_BeeApproachingBrightDeepPinkFlowers.jpg?itok=2snTprr2) The ACSF is a technological and research innovation facility at Harvard Medical School. We focus on genome-wide screens in arthropod cells and related technologies. We strive to apply our technologies to real-world problems. 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** We make progress in these areas through development and application of genome-wide CRISPR screens in fly, mosquito, tick, and other cell lines, both within our group and in collaboration with others. ## ACSF Technologies in Action ### Crop Pest Control Our cell screen technology can impact crop pest control in at least two ways. First, our technology can be used to identify new targets for insecticides. Second, our technology can be used to uncover mechanism of action of bacterial, fungal, and other toxins of insects, contributing to prioritization and analysis of these toxins, which have potential for use as alternatives to chemical pesticides. ![Larval form Spodoptera (fall armyworm) on a blad of grass (photo by Alex Wild Photography)](/sites/g/files/omnuum12256/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-10/Spodoptera3-X3_fall-armyworm-Sf-label.jpg?itok=Rct0RLcW) ### Understanding Mosquito-Pathogen Interactions Our screening technology opens the doors to identification of genes required for cell-surface binding and internalization of viruses or other pathogens that are vectored (spread) by mosquitos. Through development of screening platforms for *Anopheles*, *Aedes*, and other mosquitos, as well as strategic collaborations with experts in arboviruses and other mosquito-vector pathogens, we are breaking new ground in this exciting area of research. ![Mosquito in lab setting with a belly visibly full of blood (image by Alex Wild Photography)](/sites/g/files/omnuum12256/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-10/Anopheles4-X2_Anopheles-gambiae-label.jpg?h=420e3576&itok=ILI2RcpC) ### Pollinator Health Honey bees are a critical component of agriculture but face many threats to health, including infection with viruses. We are currently seeking funding for study of honey bee cell-virus interactions, with the goal of developing targeted therapeutics that will reduce viral infections in hives. ![Two bees on a beehive (photo by Alex Wild Photography)](/sites/g/files/omnuum12256/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-10/Apis91-X2_Apis-mellifera-label_TwoBeesOnHive.jpg?itok=-2GuJDZb) ## ACSF Online Tools for Arthropod Research [### Identify gene orthologs with DIOPT ](https://www.flyrnai.org/cgi-bin/DRSC_orthologs.pl) [### Perform gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) with PANGEA ](https://www.flyrnai.org/tools/pangea/web/home/7227) [### View sgRNA designs for mosquito and tick research at CRISPR GuideXpress ](https://www.flyrnai.org/tools/fly2mosquito/web/) [### View sgRNAs for vinegar fly reserach at Find CRISPRs 3 ](https://www.flyrnai.org/crispr3/web/) ## Recent Publications Download 3 citations download- [BibTeX](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B1%5D=manuscript&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=bibtex) - [EndNote X3 XML](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B1%5D=manuscript&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=endnote8) - [EndNote 7 XML](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B1%5D=manuscript&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=endnote7) - [Endnote tagged](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B1%5D=manuscript&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=tagged) - [Marc](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B1%5D=manuscript&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=marc) - [PubMedId](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B1%5D=manuscript&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=pubmed_id) - [RIS](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=3&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B0%5D=journal_article&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D%5B1%5D=manuscript&additional_filters%5Btype%5D%5B0%5D%5Boperator%5D=IN&format=ris) ### 2026 Matthew Butnaru, William McKenna, Srishti Goswami, Alejandra Wu-Chuang, Enzo Mameli, Abigail Wilcox, Leopoldine Quennesson, Ah-Ram Kim, Austin Veal, Weihang Chen, Hugo Verzone, Elizabeth A Lane, Hanna J Laukaitis-Yousey, Chad Araneo, Nisha Singh, Joao Pedra, Yanhui Hu, Raghuvir Viswanatha, Norbert Perrimon, and Stephanie E Mohr. 2026. “[Genome-Wide CRISPR Knockout Cell Screening Platform for the Disease Vector Tick Species Ixodes Scapularis](/publication/genome-wide-crispr-knockout-cell-screening-platform-disease-vector-tick-species-ixodes)”. BioRxiv. doi:10.64898/2026.05.05.721418 Matthew Butnaru, William McKenna, Srishti Goswami, Alejandra Wu-Chuang, Enzo Mameli, Abigail Wilcox, Leopoldine Quennesson, Ah-Ram Kim, Austin Veal, Weihang Chen, Hugo Verzone, Elizabeth A Lane, Hanna J Laukaitis-Yousey, Chad Araneo, Nisha Singh, Joao Pedra, Yanhui Hu, Raghuvir Viswanatha, Norbert Perrimon, and Stephanie E Mohr. 2026. “[Genome-Wide CRISPR Knockout Cell Screening Platform for the Disease Vector Tick Species Ixodes Scapularis](/publication/genome-wide-crispr-knockout-cell-screening-platform-disease-vector-tick-species-ixodes)”. BioRxiv. doi:10.64898/2026.05.05.721418 - add\_circle do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2026/05/07/2026.05.05.721418) The black legged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is a vector of the bacterium that causes Lyme disease and several other illnesses, including anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and tick-borne encephalitis. Although high-quality genome annotations are available for I... - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2026/05/07/2026.05.05.721418) ### 2025 Raghuvir Viswanatha, Donghoon Lee, William R. Robins, Enzo Mameli, Yanhui Hu, Ah-Ram Kim, Yousuf Hashmi, Hiroshi Nishida, Gyan Prakash, Matthew Butnaru, Sterling Churchman, Stephanie E. Mohr, John J. Mekalanos, and Norbert Perrimon. 2025. “[A Family of Lethal Exotoxins Defined by Cell Entry via the Attractin Receptor](/publication/family-lethal-exotoxins-defined-cell-entry-attractin-receptor)”. BioRxiv. doi:10.1101/2025.10.08.681221 Raghuvir Viswanatha, Donghoon Lee, William R. Robins, Enzo Mameli, Yanhui Hu, Ah-Ram Kim, Yousuf Hashmi, Hiroshi Nishida, Gyan Prakash, Matthew Butnaru, Sterling Churchman, Stephanie E. Mohr, John J. Mekalanos, and Norbert Perrimon. 2025. “[A Family of Lethal Exotoxins Defined by Cell Entry via the Attractin Receptor](/publication/family-lethal-exotoxins-defined-cell-entry-attractin-receptor)”. BioRxiv. doi:10.1101/2025.10.08.681221 - add\_circle do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2025/10/11/2025.10.08.681221.full.pdf) Although bacterial genomes encode numerous potential toxins, it is unclear how evolution drives the specificity of these important virulence factors. Using an insect CRISPR screen, we identified the transmembrane protein Attractin (ATRN) as the receptor... - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2025/10/11/2025.10.08.681221.full.pdf) Muhammad Ahmad, Raghuvir Viswanatha, Ah-Ram Kim, and Norbert Perrimon. 2025. “[A Genome-Wide CRISPR Screen Reveals ZDHHC8-Dependent Gαq Palmitoylation As a Key Regulator of GPCR Signaling](/publication/genome-wide-crispr-screen-reveals-zdhhc8-dependent-gaq-palmitoylation-key-regulator)”. BioRxiv. doi:10.1101/2025.08.06.668953 Muhammad Ahmad, Raghuvir Viswanatha, Ah-Ram Kim, and Norbert Perrimon. 2025. “[A Genome-Wide CRISPR Screen Reveals ZDHHC8-Dependent Gαq Palmitoylation As a Key Regulator of GPCR Signaling](/publication/genome-wide-crispr-screen-reveals-zdhhc8-dependent-gaq-palmitoylation-key-regulator)”. BioRxiv. doi:10.1101/2025.08.06.668953 - add\_circle do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2025/08/06/2025.08.06.668953.full.pdf) G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that couple to the Gαq signaling pathway control diverse physiological processes, yet the full complement of cellular regulators for this pathway remains unknown. Here, we report the first genome-wide CRISPR knockout... - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2025/08/06/2025.08.06.668953.full.pdf) [ View All Citations arrow\_circle\_right ](/publications) [ View All Events arrow\_circle\_right ](/events) ## News [### Nanobodies against NanoTags now easier to access ](/news/2026/07/nanobodies-against-nanotags-now-easier-access) July 22, 2026 The nanobodies recognizing the VHH05-tag and 127D01-tag, two short epitope tags developed by our group for use in Drosophila , are now available in purified form from Cell Signaling Technology (CST). These "NanoTags" and their corresponding high-affinity... description [### PANGEA and DIOPT online tools updated ](/news/2026/01/pangea-and-diopt-online-tools-updated) January 07, 2026 We recently updated our PANGEA and DIOPT online tools to support additional arthropod species. PANGEA now supports gene set enrichment with gene lists from black-legged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, and malaria mosquitoes, Anopheles gambiae. DIOPT now... description [### New publication: A genome-wide CRISPR screen in Anopheles mosquito cells identifies fitness and immune cell function-related genes ](/news/2025/11/new-publication-genome-wide-crispr-screen-anopheles-mosquito-cells-identifies-fitness) November 24, 2025 Out today in Nature Communications, we report the first-ever genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen in mosquito cells. This work combines powerful classical genetic screen approaches with cutting-edge gene editing technology. The screening platform we report... description ## Our Team [### Norbert Perrimon ](/people/norbert-perrimon)James Stillman Professor of Genetics & HHMI Investigator Prof. Norbert Perrimon is a longtime innovator in Drosophila molecular genetic technologies and arthropod cell screening. In 2004, his laboratory developed the first genome-wide RNAi cell screening platform. He later founded the Drosophila RNAi Screening... [### Stephanie Mohr ](/people/stephanie-mohr) [stephanie\_mohr@hms.harvard.edu](mailto:stephanie_mohr@hms.harvard.edu)ACSF Director Dr. Stephanie Mohr is the Director of the Arthropod Cell Screening Facility. She has more than 20 years of experience in high-throughput screening, arthropod research, and related topics, including as Director of the Drosophila RNAi Screening Facility at... [ View All People arrow\_circle\_right ](/people)