Decoding How Mosquito Repellents Work
Mosquito-borne diseases kill over 600,000 people every year, and repellents remain one of humanity’s most important tools for personal protection. Yet despite decades of use, we still do not fully understand how most mosquito repellents work—or why some fail against the mosquito species that matter most.
The Potter Lab at the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute investigates the fundamental science of mosquito repellent function. Using advanced neurogenetic tools, calcium imaging of olfactory neurons, and novel behavioral assays, we have uncovered species-specific mechanisms that challenge long-held assumptions about common repellents like DEET.
Our research has demonstrated that DEET does not directly repel malaria-transmitting Anopheles mosquitoes through smell. Instead, it hides human odors through a chemical masking mechanism—a discovery with major implications for repellent design and malaria prevention. We are now developing “super repellents”: optimized formulations that combine multiple modes of action to provide superior protection against the world’s deadliest mosquito species.