Al Valaitis

Title: Research Biologist
Unit: Genetics, Biological Control, and Management of Invasive Species
Previous Unit: Genetics and management of invasive forest insect pests, diseases, and beneficial fungi
Address: Northern Research Station
359 Main Road
Delaware, OH 43015
Phone: 614-368-0020
E-mail: Contact Al Valaitis

Jump to Publications

Education

• Ph.D. North Carolina State University. 1982, Biochemistry
• M.S. University of Illinois, 1978, Cell Biology
• B.S. University of Illinois, 1975, Biological Sciences

Civic & Professional Affiliations

American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), Society for Invertebrate Pathology (SIP)

Current Research

For the past several years I have been working on understanding the mode of action of the insecticidal proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) with a focus on the characterization, cloning, and expression studies of the Bt receptor from the gypsy moth. Bt-based products account for more than 95 percent of all the biopesticides used for insect pest control. Bt has many advantages including a high and fast toxic activity and decades of toxicological analyses that have consistently demonstrated the safety associated with Bt-based insecticides. Unlike chemical insecticides, Bt acts by producing proteins that paralyze the gut of susceptible insects. The demand for Bt-based products is expected to continue increasing, and Bt will remain the most important biopesticide we have in our arsenal for managing destructive insect pests. However, research is needed to identify insecticidal proteins against new invasive insects, improve activity of Bt toward target forest pests, and address the potential for developing resistant populations of insect pests. My current research interests include the following areas:

• Elucidation of the key factors in the mode of action of Bt with a focus on understanding how receptor/toxin interactions impact the insecticidal activity and specificity of different Bt toxins towards target insect pests.
• Development of alternative approaches for assessment of Bt toxin activity.
• Identification and analysis of new insecticidal proteins which are effective against new invasive insect pests.

Future Research

Research and development of new or more effective Bt-based products for management of invasive and destructive insect pests.

Featured Publications

Additional Online Publications