Anthony A. James

(1951 - )

Molecular Biologist, National Academy of Sciences Member

Anthony A. James. Courtesy of Anthony A. James.

Anthony A. James is Distinguished Professor of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics (School of Medicine) and Molecular Biology & Biochemistry (School of Biological Sciences) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). He is a member of the NAS. Dr. James received his bachelor of science and Ph.D. degrees at UCI. He went to Boston in 1979 for postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School and Brandeis University and joined the faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health in 1985. He returned to his alma mater in 1989. Dr. James is working on vector-parasite interactions, mosquito molecular biology, and other problems in insect developmental biology. His research emphasizes the use of genetic and molecular-genetic tools to develop synthetic approaches to interrupting pathogen transmission by mosquitoes. His research group was the first to develop routine transgenesis procedures for mosquitoes, and they have been able to engineer single-chain antibodies that interfere with malaria parasite development in mosquitoes. He is collaborating with other researchers to develop RNAi-mediated approaches to prevent dengue virus transmission and an Aedes aegypti population-suppression strain based on flightless females. He also is using bioinformatics to study the evolution of control DNA involved in regulating genes connected with hematophagy. Dr. James has a strong interest in what it takes to move science from the laboratory to the field. He is the principal investigator on multiple grants from the NIH and, in 2005, received an award from the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative to develop genetic strategies for control of dengue virus transmission. The Burroughs-Wellcome Fund and the MacArthur Foundation have also supported his research. In addition to being elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2006, Dr. James has received numerous other awards, including the Nan-Yao Su (2009) Award for Innovation and Creativity in Entomology from the Entomological Society of America. He was a co-recipient of the Premio de Investgación Médica Dr. Jorge Rosenkranz (2008) and a recipient of the Burroughs-Wellcome New Initiatives in Malaria Award (2000) and the Burroughs-Wellcome Scholar Award in Molecular Parasitology (1994). In 2009, he received the UCI Medal, the highest honor the University bestows on an individual who has made exceptional contributions to the vision, mission and spirit of UCI, and in 2013 the UCI School of Medicine awarded him the Athalie Clarke Achievement Award for Outstanding Research. . Dr. James was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1994); a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society of London (1992); a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America (2011); and a Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (2012). In 2009, he was awarded the UCI Medal, the highest honor the University bestows on an individual who has made exceptional contributions to the vision, mission and spirit of UCI. He has published over 140 papers, reviews and policy documents and has provided guidance to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. He was a founding editor of the journal Insect Molecular Biology and has served on the editorial boards of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Experimental Parasitology, and Entomological Research. He is a member of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, American Committee on Vector Entomology, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society of Parasitology, Royal Entomological Society, Entomological Society of America, Genetics Society of America and Society of Vector Ecology. Additional Information Profile from University of California, Irvine Interview with A.A. James. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. February 2009, 9(1): 127-130 "Most Influential 2015: Anthony James," The Orange County Register