Inaliguyau Lutschini

Reproductive molecular biology of invasive pest land snails.

Invasive land snails, particularly Mediterranean and apple snails, threaten the Australian grains industry by damaging crops, contaminating harvests, and reducing grain quality and marketability. Current molluscicides are often ineffective at sustainable dosages, costly for growers, and carry environmental risks. My PhD project aims to address these challenges by identifying reproductive and mucus-derived proteins that can serve as highly specific molecular targets for next-generation snail control strategies. This research involves multi-omics analysis to ensure a systems-level understanding, which can provide knowledge-driven outcomes, aligning with UniSC's strong commitment to environmental sustainability.