Staff profile

Research Interests

As an applied entomologist I have two principle areas of research interest. The first is the investigation and development of novel approaches for the control of invertebrate pests; research in our lab is currently focused on developing novel protein based biopesticides based upon the exploitation of invertebrate specific spider venom peptides. My second area of interest is in the emerging use of insects as a novel source of the nutrition for animal feed and as a means of reducing volumes of waste in line with a circular economy approach. Here our current focus, in collaboration with Professor Ari Sadanandom’s group at Durham, is understanding the value of insect derived biofertilisers for crop and soil health.

• Durham Centre for Crop Improvement Technology
• Molecular Plant Sciences

Chapter in book

• Bjone, Hanna & Fitches, Elaine (2021). Which Insect Species and Why? In Insects as animal feed: novel ingredients for use in pet, aquaculture and livestock diets. Hall, Heidi, Fitches, Elaine & Smith, Rhonda Wallingford: CAB International.
• Kenis, Marc, Bouwassi, Bawoubati, Boafo, Hettie, Devic, Emilie, Han, Richou, Koko, Gabriel, Koné, N’Golopé, Maciel-Vergara, Gabriela, Nacambo, Saidou, Pomalegni, Sètchémè Charles Bertrand, Roffeis, Martin, Wakefield, Maureen, Zhu, Fen & Fitches, Elaine (2018). Small-Scale Fly Larvae Production for Animal Feed. In Edible Insects in Sustainable Food Systems. Halloran, Afton, Flore, Roberto, Roos, Nanna & Vantomme, Paul Cham: Springer. 239-261.
• Fitches, Elaine C. & Smith, Rhonda (2018). PROteINSECT: Insects as a Sustainable Source of Protein. In Edible Insects in Sustainable Food Systems. Halloran, A., Flore, R., Vantomme, P. & Roos, N. Cham: Springer. 421-435.

Edited book

• Heidi Hall, Elaine Fitches & Rhonda Smith (2021). Insects as animal feed: novel ingredients for use in pet, aquaculture and livestock diets. Wallingford: CAB International.

Journal Article

• Sukiran, Nur Afiqah, Pyati, Prashant, Willis, Caitlin E, Brown, Adrian P, Readshaw, Jennifer J & Fitches, Elaine C (2023). Enhancing the oral and topical insecticidal efficacy of a commercialized spider venom peptide biopesticide via fusion to the carrier snowdrop lectin (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin). Pest Management Science 79(1): 284-294.
• Bell, Jack, Sukiran, Nur Afiqah, Walsh, Stephen & Fitches, Elaine C. (2021). The insecticidal activity of recombinant nemertide toxin α-1 from Lineus longissimus towards pests and beneficial species. Toxicon 197: 79-86.
• Martínez-Alarcón, Dania, Varrot, Annabelle, Fitches, Elaine, Gatehouse, John A., Cao, Min, Pyati, Prashant, Blanco-Labra, Alejandro & Garcia-Gasca, Teresa (2020). Recombinant Lectin from Tepary Bean (Phaseolus acutifolius) with Specific Recognition for Cancer-Associated Glycans: Production, Structural Characterization, and Target Identification. Biomolecules 10(4): 654.
• Powell, M.E., Bradish, H.M., Cao, M., Makinson, R., Brown, A.P., Gatehouse, J.A. & Fitches, E.C. (2020). Demonstrating the potential of a novel spider venom based biopesticide for target-specific control of the small hive beetle, a serious pest of the European honey bee. Journal of Pest Science 93(1): 391-402.
• Roffeis, Martin, Fitches, Elaine C., Wakefield, Maureen E., Almeida, Joana, Alves Valada, Tatiana R., Devic, Emilie, Koné, N’Golopé, Kenis, Marc, Nacambo, Saidou, Koko, Gabriel K.D., Mathijs, Erik, Achten, Wouter M.J. & Muys, Bart (2020). Ex-ante life cycle impact assessment of insect based feed production in West Africa. Agricultural Systems 178: 102710.
• Fitches, E.C., Dickinson, M., De Marzo, D., Wakefield, M.E., Charlton, A.C. & Hall, H. (2019). Alternative protein production for animal feed: Musca domestica productivity on poultry litter and nutritional quality of processed larval meals. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 5(2): 77-88.
• Srivastava, Anjil Kumar, Orosa, Beatriz, Singh, Prashant, Cummins, Ian, Walsh, Charlotte, Zhang, Cunjin, Grant, Murray, Roberts, Michael R., Anand, Ganesh Srinivasan, Fitches, Elaine & Sadanandom, Ari (2018). SUMO Suppresses the Activity of the Jasmonic Acid Receptor CORONATINE INSENSITIVE1. The Plant Cell 30(9): 2099-2125.
• Roffeis, Martin, Wakefield, Maureen Elizabeth, Almeida, Joana, Alves Valada, Tatiana Raquel, Devic, Emilie, Koné, N'Golopé, Kenis, Marc, Nacambo, Saidou, Fitches, Elaine Charlotte, Koko, Gabriel K.D., Mathijs, Erik, Achten, Wouter M.J. & Muys, Bart (2018). Life cycle cost assessment of insect based feed production in West Africa. Journal of Cleaner Production 199: 792-806.
• Cao, Min, Gatehouse, John & Fitches, Elaine (2018). A Systematic Study of RNAi Effects and dsRNA Stability in Tribolium castaneum and Acyrthosiphon pisum, Following Injection and Ingestion of Analogous dsRNAs. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 19(4): 1079.
• Hall, H. N., Masey O’Neill, H. V., Scholey, D., Burton, E., Dickinson, M. & Fitches, E. C. (2018). Amino acid digestibility of larval meal (Musca domestica) for broiler chickens. Poultry Science 97(4): 1290-1297.
• Powell, Michelle, Pyati, Prashant, Cao, Min, Bell, Howard, Gatehouse, John A. & Fitches, Elaine (2017). Insecticidal effects of dsRNA targeting the Diap1 gene in dipteran pests. Scientific Reports 7(1): 15147.
• Roffeis, Martin, Almeida, Joana, Wakefield, Maureen, Valada, Tatiana, Devic, Emilie, Koné, N’Golopé, Kenis, Marc, Nacambo, Saidou, Fitches, Elaine, Koko, Gabriel, Mathijs, Erik, Achten, Wouter & Muys, Bart (2017). Life Cycle Inventory Analysis of Prospective Insect Based Feed Production in West Africa. Sustainability 9(10): 1697.
• Powell, M.E., Bradish, H.M., Gatehouse, J.A. & Fitches, E.C. (2017). Systemic RNAi in the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida Murray, Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), a serious pest of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera). Pest Management Science 73(1): 53-63.
• Yang, S., Fitches, E., Pyati, P. & Gatehouse, J.A. (2015). Effect of insecticidal fusion proteins containing spider toxins targeting sodium and calcium ion channels on pyrethroid-resistant strains of peach-potato aphid (Myzus persicae). Pest Management Science 71(7): 951-956.
• Nakasu, Y.E.T., Williamson, S.M., Edwards, M.G., Fitches, E.C., Gatehouse, J.A., Wright, G. & Gatehouse, A.M.R. (2014). Novel biopesticide based on a spider venom peptide shows no adverse effects on honeybees. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 281(1787): 20140619.
• Pyati, P., Fitches, E. & Gatehouse, J.A. (2014). Optimising expression of the recombinant fusion protein biopesticide ω-hexatoxin-Hv1a /GNA in Pichia pastoris: Sequence modifications and a simple method for the generation of multi-copy strains. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology 41(8): 1237-1247.
• Yang, S., Pyati, P., Fitches, E. & Gatehouse, J.A. (2014). A recombinant fusion protein containing a spider toxin specific for the insect voltage-gated sodium ion channel shows oral toxicity towards insects of different orders. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 47: 1-11.
• Fitches, E.C., Pyati, P., King, G.F. & Gatehouse, J.A. (2012). Fusion to snowdrop lectin magnifies the oral activity of insecticidal omega-Hexatoxin-Hv1a peptide by enabling its delivery to the central nervous system. PLoS ONE 7(6): e39389.
• Wakefield, M.E., Fitches, E.C., Bell, H.A. & Gatehouse, A.M.R. (2010). The snowdrop lectin Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) and a fusion protein ButaIT/GNA have a differential affect on a pest noctuid Lacanobia oleracea and the ectoparasitoid Eulophus pennicornis. Physiological Entomology 35(4): 334-342.
• Wakefield ME, Bell HA, Fitches EC, Edwards JP, & Gatehouse AMR. (2006). Effects of Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) expressed in tomato leaves on larvae of the tomato moth Lacanobia oleracea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and the effect of GNA on the development of the endoparasitoid Meteorus gyrator (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 96(01): 43-52.
• Down RE, Fitches EC, Wiles DP, Corti P, Bell HA, Gatehouse JA, & Edwards JP. (2005). Insecticidal spider venom toxin fused to snowdrop lectin is toxic to the peach potato aphid Myzus persicae (Hemipteran: Aphidadae) and the rice brown plant hopper Nilarparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphicidae). Pest Management Science 62(1): 77-85.
• Fitches, E, Edwards, MG, Mee, C, Grishin, E, Gatehouse, AMR, Edwards, JP & Gatehouse, JA (2004). Fusion proteins containing insect-specific toxins as pest control agents: snowdrop lectin delivers fused insecticidal spider venom toxinto insect haemolymph following oral ingestion. Journal Of Insect Physiology 50(1): 61-71.
• Bell HA, Down RE, Fitches EC, Edwards JP, & Gatehouse JA (2003). Impact of genetically modified potato expressing plant-derived insecticidal proteins/insect resistance genes on the predatory bug Podisus maculiventris (Say). Biocontrol Science and Technology 13(8): 729-741.
• Fitches, E, Woodhouse, SD, Edwards, JP & Gatehouse, JA (2001). In vitro and in vivo binding of snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin;GNA) and jackbean (Canavalia ensiformis; Con A) lectins within tomatomoth (Lacanobia oleracea) larvae; mechanisms of insecticidal action. Journal Of Insect Physiology 47(7): 777-787.

Presentation

• Fitches, E.C., Hermans, D., Dickinson, M., Charlton, A.C., Wakefield, M.E., Kenis, M., Muys, B., Smith, R., Melzer-Venturi, G. & Bruggeman, G. (2017), Insects as sustainable feed ingredients: Case study: Assessing the performance of broilers fed on diets containing crude and processed housefly larval meal, Poulty beyond 2023 6th International Broiler Nutritionists’ Conference. Queenstown, New Zeland.