# Yolk protein-mediated germline delivery in vector snails

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO · 2021 · $221,070

## Abstract

SUMMARY
Genetics-based vector control holds great promise in combating vector transmitted diseases. Such a promising
strategy, however, has not yet been tested in any vector snail control program of schistosomiasis, one of the
world’s most devastating parasitic diseases. The key reason is the lack of a germline delivery technology for
delivering genetic materials into gametes or embryos. The inability to deliver genetic materials into snail
germline cells is due to the complex anatomical structure of its gametes, the exceedingly small size of its eggs,
and its unusual reproductive system, which preclude the application of all existing, well-developed genetic
delivery technologies. To circumvent these limitations, we propose an innovative approach that exploits snail
yolk proteins as vehicles for shuttling genetic materials into growing oocytes via the natural process of receptor-
mediated endocytosis during vitellogenesis. Two types of the most promising snail yolk proteins, yolk ferritin
and vitellogenin, both found present in the genome of the schistosomiasis vector snail Biomphalaria glabrata,
will be investigated. We will first identify a highly efficient oocyte receptor-binding ligand from snail yolk ferritin
or vitellogenin (Aim1) and then test the identified ligand in delivering clustered regularly interspaced short
palindromic repeats (CRISPR) cargo into the oocytes for germline modification (Aim 2). This study will open an
exciting door for all genetic manipulation studies for basic and applied research of schistosomiasis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10214026
- **Project number:** 1R21AI153469-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO
- **Principal Investigator:** SI-MING ZHANG
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $221,070
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-03-01 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10214026

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10214026, Yolk protein-mediated germline delivery in vector snails (1R21AI153469-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10214026. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*