Dr Hanafy Mahmoud Ismail

Lecturer in Vector Biology

Areas of Interest: Vector Biology, Chemical Biology, Insecticide Resistance, Malaria, Mosquito Biology, Pharmacokinetics, Proteomics

Academic Background and Professional Role Dr. Hanafy Ismail is a Lecturer at LSTM and leads the Chemical Biology Group (HI-Lab). He holds a BSc and MSc in Pesticide Chemistry and Toxicology from Alexandria University, Egypt, and joined LSTM in 2007 to work on molecular aspects of drug and insecticide resistance.

Research Dr. Ismail’s research focuses on understanding and mitigating insecticide resistance in mosquitoes, which is a major challenge in vector control. He leads efforts to predict and manage insecticide resistance using advanced chemical biology techniques, including ADME analysis, proteomics, and genetic approaches (for more details, visit the IRPP webpage). His work aims to identify resistance mechanisms and develop effective strategies to combat resistance, ultimately improving the efficacy of malaria vector control interventions.

Funding

  • $3,628,363 - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (November 2023 – December 2027): PI Hanafy M. Ismail, Co-PIs Hilary Ranson, David Weetman, and Mark Paine. Forewarned is forearmed: developing an Insecticide Resistance Prediction Platform (IRPP) to identify cross-resistance mechanisms to new insecticides for proactive management of next-generation malaria vector control products. Grant Number: INV-062098.
  • $599,456 - Global Fund Project (December 2023 – December 2024): Entomological investigations and stakeholder perspectives to support the introduction of dual active ingredient ITNs into the wider vector control space. Prof. Charles Wondji (PI, CRID), Dr. Magellan Tchouakui (Site-PI, CRID), Dr. Hanafy Ismail (Co-I, LSTM), Prof. Hilary Ranson (Co-PI, LSTM), Dr. Rosemary Lees (Co-PI, LSTM), Dr. Moussa W. Guelbeogo (Co-PI, CNRFP), Dr. Antoine Sanou (Site-PI, CNRFP). Subcontract: $199,978 - Hanafy M. Ismail (PI, LSTM on Study 2). Grant ID: TGF-23-8.
  • £50,000 - GCRF Anti-Vec Pump Priming Project: Hanafy M. Ismail (PI) and Mark Paine (Co-PI). Modulation of the steroid hormone signalling via chemical inhibition of CYP314A1 in Anopheline mosquitoes for malaria control.
  • £3,654,460 - Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) (January 2022 – December 2024): LITE GLP facility. PI Hilary Ranson, Co-PIs Mark Paine and Hanafy Ismail.
  • £962,023 - Medical Research Council (February 2021 –December 2024): Pre-emptive discovery of insecticide cross-resistance mechanisms for next-generation malaria control products. Mark Paine (P.I.), Co-PIs Hanafy M. Ismail, David Weetman, Gareth Lycett (LSTM).
Recent publications: 

    Selected publications

    • Moyes, C. L., Lees, R. S., Yunta, C., Walker, K. J., Hemmings, K., Oladepo, F., Hancock, P. A., Weetman, D., Paine, M., & Ismail, H. M. (2021). Assessing cross-resistance within the pyrethroids in terms of their interactions with key cytochrome P450 enzymes and resistance in vector populations. Parasites & vectors, 14(1), 115. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-04609-5

      Corine Ngufor, Raphael N’Guessan, Josias Fagbohoun, Damien Todjinou, Abibath Odjo, David Malone, Hanafy Ismail, Martin Akogbeto and Mark Rowland (2016).Efficacy of the Olyset Duo net against insecticide-resistant mosquito vectors of malaria Science Translational Medicine 14 Sep 2016:Vol. 8, Issue 356, pp. 356
       
      Ismail, H. M, Victoria E. Barton, Matthew Panchana, Sitthivut Charoensutthivarakul, Giancarlo A. Biagini, Stephen A. Ward, and Paul M. O’Neill. Click Chemistry Based Proteomics highlights a common malaria parasite protein alkylation signature between synthetic 1,2,4-Trioxolane Antimalarials and the Artemisinins. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. Volume 55, Issue 22, May 23, 2016, Pages 6401–6405
       
      Ismail, H. M.; Barton, V.; Phanchana, M.; Charoensutthivarakul, S.; Wong, M. H.; Hemingway, J.; Biagini, G. A.; O’Neill, P. M.; Ward, S. A., Artemisinin activity-based probes identify multiple molecular targets within the asexual stage of the malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum 3D7. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2016, 113, 2080-2085.

      Recommended in F1000 Prime “very good paper” https://f1000.com/prime/726131980

       

      Ismail, H. M.; Kumar, V.; Singh, R. P.; Williams, C.; Shivam, P.; Ghosh, A.; Deb, R.; Foster, G. M.; Hemingway, J.; Coleman, M.; Coleman, M.; Das, P.; Paine, M. J., Development of a Simple Dipstick Assay for Operational Monitoring of DDT. PLoS neglected tropical diseases 2016, 10, e0004324-e0004324.

      Coleman, M.; Foster, G. M.; Deb, R.; Singh, R. P.; Ismail, H. M.; Shivam, P.; Ghosh, A. K.; Dunkley, S.; Kumar, V.; Coleman, M., DDT-based indoor residual spraying suboptimal for visceral leishmaniasis elimination in India. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2015, 112, 8573-8578.

      Toé, K. H.; Jones, C. M.; N’Fale, S.; Ismail, H.; Dabiré, R. K.; Ranson, H., Increased pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors and decreased bed net effectiveness, Burkina Faso. Emerging infectious diseases 2014, 20, 1691-1696.

      Russell, T. L.; Morgan, J. C.; Ismail, H.; Kaur, H.; Eggelte, T.; Oladepo, F.; Amon, J.; Hemingway, J.; Iata, H.; Paine, M., Evaluating the feasibility of using insecticide quantification kits (IQK) for estimating cyanopyrethroid levels for indoor residual spraying in Vanuatu. Malar J 2014, 13, 10.1186.

      Riveron, J. M.; Yunta, C.; Ibrahim, S. S.; Djouaka, R.; Irving, H.; Menze, B. D.; Ismail, H. M.; Hemingway, J.; Ranson, H.; Albert, A., A single mutation in the GSTe2 gene allows tracking of metabolically based insecticide resistance in a major malaria vector. Genome Biol 2014, 15, R27.

      Ismail, H. M.; O’Neill, P. M.; Hong, D. W.; Finn, R. D.; Henderson, C. J.; Wright, A. T.; Cravatt, B. F.; Hemingway, J.; Paine, M. J., Pyrethroid activity-based probes for profiling cytochrome P450 activities associated with insecticide interactions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2013, 110, 19766-19771. 

      David, J. -P.; Ismail, H. M.; Chandor-Proust, A.; Paine, M. J. I., Role of cytochrome P450s in insecticide resistance: impact on the control of mosquito-borne diseases and use of insecticides on Earth. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 2013, 368, 20120429.