معرفی
Professor Elaine Fitches is a Professor in the Department of Biosciences at Durham University. Her research focuses on developing protein-based biopesticides and exploring sustainable insect farming for animal feed. She leads projects on fusion protein technology to enhance toxin delivery to insect pests and collaborates with industry on commercializing these innovations. Her work addresses pesticide resistance and promotes circular bioeconomy principles through waste-to-resource systems.
Research Interests:
- Oral delivery of insecticidal peptides using carrier proteins
- AI-driven design of recombinant biopesticides
- Insect farming for sustainable feed production
- Environmental impact assessments of biofeed systems
Publications highlight advancements in spider venom toxin engineering, fusion protein efficacy, and insect-based feed sustainability. She advises three PhD students and has co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed articles since 2012.
Grants and Industry: Current collaborations involve scaling biopesticide production and evaluating insect meal nutritional profiles. Her lab uses yeast-based fermentation systems for prototype development.
Labs/Teams: Active in Durham's Agri-Food Systems Group, focusing on integrated pest management and sustainable protein solutions.
