CRISPR Phase III

Understanding the biology of the Australian sheep blowfly (Lucilia cuprina) is critical to developing new and effective strategies for its control. The advances made in the sequencing of the L. cuprina genome mean that CRISPR has the potential to be a powerful tool for the understanding of the function of genes in this pest. Establishing a routine gene editing method in L. cuprina provides a clean and fast way to validate the potential of specific genes in the quest for the development of novel blowfly control options. This would reduce the reliance on inferences made from research conducted in other insects. This project to continued developing CRISPR/CAS9 as a tool for the manipulation of genes in the Australian sheep blowfly, aiming to enhance the efficiency of using this technology.