About
Adj. Associate Professor Leon Hugo is the Academic Lead of the Mosquito Control Laboratory at QIMR Berghofer. Leon received a PhD in Tropical Health from the University of Queensland in 2004. He has held fellowships through the Australian Research Council and Perpetual Foundation and currently holds adjunct Associate Professorship appointments through the Faculty of Health, QUT, and School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Queensland. Since 2005, Leon’s research has focused on mosquito vector biology and developing strategies to control mosquito-borne disease by targeting mosquitoes or the pathogens inside them. He uses live mosquito models in biosecurity level two and three insectaries at QIMR Berghofer to study host-parasite interactions. He also apply these models for translational research, including testing novel vaccines and therapeutics, diagnostic assay development and the evaluation of novel endectocides. His research interests include the development of novel biological control strategies and he has contributed to the development of Wolbachia intracellular bacteria and insect-specific viruses as microbial control agents. Leon has graduated six PhD students (three as principal advisor) who have each found employment in academic research and industry. He contributes to national and international grant and fellowship review committees, including for the NHMRC, Wellcome Trust, UK, and ANRS/Inserm, France.
Research Skills
Mosquito vector biology
Applied virology
Molecular biology
Proteomics
Area of Interest
Mosquito vector biology
Arbovirology
Biological control of mosquito-borne diseases
Insect-specific viruses
Wolbachia
Host-parasites interactions
Infectious disease serology and vaccine response
Endectocides
Professional Associations
Mosquito Control Association of Australia
Australasian Virology Society
Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre
Funding
National Health and Medical Research Council
Australian Research Council
Pacific Funds, the Pasteur Institute
The Wellcome Trust
Research Projects
Current Research Projects
The impact of climate on vector-borne zoonoses in Australia: changing transmission pathways and increased spill-over risks.
2025-2027
Assessing the Risk of vector transmission of Ross River Virus in New Caledonia using vEctor competence as a pRoxy (RIVER) project.
2024-2026
From shape to function: how structured RNA defines insect flaviviruses.
2024-2026
Publications
Peterson, A.J.; Hall, R.A.; Harrison, J.J.; Hobson-Peters, J. and Hugo, L.E. Unleashing nature's allies: comparing the vertical transmission dynamics of insect-specific and vertebrate-infecting flaviviruses in mosquitoes. Viruses 2024, 16, doi:10.3390/v16091499 (https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/16/9/1499)
Rawle, D.J., Hugo L.E., Cox A.L., Devine G.J., Suhrbier A. 2024. Generating prophylactic immunity against arboviruses in vertebrates and invertebrates. Nat. Rev. Immunol. 24, pages 621–636 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41577-024-01016-6)
Hugo L. E., Rašic G., Maynard A. J., Ambrose L., Liddington C., Thomas C.J.E., Nath N. S., Graham M., Winterford C., Wimalasiri-Yapa B. M. C. R., Xi Z., Beebe N. W. and Devine G. J. (2022). Wolbachia wAlbB inhibit dengue and Zika infection in the mosquito Aedes aegypti with an Australian background. Submitted to PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. PLoS NTD. 13;16(10):e0010786 (https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0010786)