Lee Rafuse Haines
Biological Sciences
Associate Research Professor, Biological Sciences
- Medical and Veterinary Entomology
- Molecular Parasitology
- Parasite-Symbiont-Vector Interactions
- Insect-Borne Diseases
- Insect Microbiota and Symbiosis
- Neglected Tropical Diseases
Haines’s 91视频
Haines in the News
Notre Dame Magazine
July 01, 2025
I’m in Galvin Life Science Center, standing inside an insectary — a room where insects are kept and studied — with Notre Dame biologists Lee Haines and Álvaro Acosta Serrano.
WebMD
June 27, 2025
Lee Haines, PhD, professor in molecular parasitology and medical entomology at the University of Notre Dame
South Bend Tribune
June 26, 2025
For Lee Haines, a professor of medical entomology at the University of Notre Dame, communicating details of her work to someone who knows nothing about insects always starts by simplifying her message to what is important and applicable. And when she unveiled her commissioned symphonic project with Cynthia Katsarelis, a professor of conducting at Notre Dame, at the Notre Dame College of Science’s Pint of Science event at Chicory Cafe虂 in downtown South Bend on May 19, that's exactly what they meant to do.
Time
June 24, 2025
DEET “blocks the sensors for an insect to find you, so you end up with a cloak of invisibility,” says Lee Haines, a medical entomologist at the University of Notre Dame who studies how insects spread diseases. “They’re attracted to your heat, but they can’t find you.”
CBS 4 Indianapolis
June 18, 2025
Citing Medical Entomologist Lee R. Haines, the Consumer Affairs website put together a list that shows proven methods for avoiding the blood-sucking insects, along with the things that will likely waste your time and money.
Consumer Affairs
June 10, 2025
Medical Entomologist Lee R. Haines, who studies how insects spread diseases, shared exclusive information with ConsumerAffairs on two of the summer’s biggest enemies: ticks and mosquitoes. Learn how to stay safe, the do’s and don’ts of pest control, resources, and more.
Curieux!
June 06, 2025
Nitisinone has "a hidden superpower ," said biologist Lee Haines, lead author of the scientific article, quoted in press release from the University of Notre Dame (USA), to which she belongs. The results of the work carried out by Haines and his team "suggest that the use of nitisinone could be a promising new complementary tool."
Rust Belt Science Podcast
Audio
June 05, 2025
In this episode of Rust Belt Science, we sit down with Dr. Lee Haines to explore the fascinating world of malaria research. Dr. Haines walks us through her recent paper on repurposing existing drugs to combat malaria—an approach that could fast-track new treatments in the face of rising resistance.
The Academic Minute
Audio
June 03, 2025
Why can mosquitoes harbor viruses without being affected while others cannot? Lee Haines, associate research professor at the University of Notre Dame, explores this.
South Bend Tribune
May 16, 2025
Beginning at 7 p.m. each night, University of Notre Dame Professor for the Public Understanding of Science Kate Biberdorf, known as “Kate the Chemist,” will introduce Notre Dame researchers who will discuss topics that highlight the intersection of science and life.
Art, Earth, and the Urgency of Now,” Monday, May 19: This program explores how art and science work together to help us reckon with loss, resilience and the natural forces shaping our world. Through orchestral sounds and coastal stones, we’ll connect with the past to better face the future. With Cynthia Katsarelis, professor of conducting; Lee Haines, associate research professor; and Hannah Spero, a doctoral candidate.
Outbreak News Interviews Podcast
Audio
May 15, 2025
My guest today will discuss the risks mosquitoes and ticks pose to Americans across the country. In addition, she’ll explain how the public can best protect ourselves and family members from these bloodthirsty pests. Joining me today is Lee Haines, PhD. Dr. Haines is medical entomologist and Associate Research Professor at the Department of Biological Science at the University of Notre Dame.
SBT News (Brazil)
May 13, 2025
Lee R. Haines, an associate research professor and medical entomologist at the University of Notre Dame, has dedicated her career to studying how insects transmit disease. She says the risk is real and constant, and prevention is the best form of defense.
Futurity
May 06, 2025
As a medical entomologist, Associate Research Professor Lee R. Haines studies how insects spread diseases. Her research at the University of Notre Dame focuses specifically on the complex relationships between insects, the microorganisms living in their bodies, and the they transmit to humans and animals.
Medical Xpress
May 05, 2025
As a medical entomologist, Associate Research Professor Lee R. Haines studies how insects spread diseases. Her research at the University of Notre Dame focuses specifically on the complex relationships between insects, the microorganisms living in their bodies, and the disease-causing agents they transmit to humans and animals.
Nature
April 02, 2025
Lee Haines at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and her colleagues looked into one such drug, called nitisinone, which has been approved by the US Food & Drug Administration to treat several rare inherited disorders in people, including in infants.
The Week
March 31, 2025
By contrast, nitisinone "specifically targets blood-sucking insects, making it an environmentally friendly option," said Álvaro Acosta Serrano, a professor of biological sciences at Notre Dame and co-corresponding author of the study.
Ideally, "it could be advantageous to alternate both nitisinone and ivermectin for mosquito control," Lee R. Haines, an associate research professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, honorary fellow at the Liverpool 91视频 of Tropical Medicine and co-lead author of the study, said in the news release.
EuroWeekly News
March 31, 2025
The research team, including Associate Research Professor Lee R. Haines from the University of Notre Dame, experimented with nitisinone, which blocks an enzyme in the human body to prevent harmful byproducts from accumulating.
‘Its mosquito-killing activity circulates in the body much longer,’ said co-author Álvaro Acosta Serrano, a professor of biological sciences at Notre Dame.
StudyFinds
March 28, 2025
Research led by Lee R. Haines and Álvaro Acosta Serrano (University of Notre Dame)
Futurity
March 27, 2025
“One way to stop the spread of diseases transmitted by insects is to make the blood of animals and humans toxic to these blood-feeding insects,” says Lee R. Haines, associate research professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, honorary fellow at the Liverpool 91视频 of Tropical Medicine and co-lead author of the study.
Yahoo
March 27, 2025
"One way to stop the spread of diseases transmitted by insects is to make the blood of animals and humans toxic to these blood-feeding insects," Lee R Haines, associate research professor at the University of Notre Dame in the US and co-lead author of the study, said in a statement.
"Nitisinone performance was fantastic," said Álvaro Acosta Serrano, professor of biological sciences at Notre Dame and co-corresponding author of the study.
The Independent
March 26, 2025
“One way to stop the spread of diseases transmitted by insects is to make the blood of animals and humans toxic to these blood-feeding insects,” said Lee Haines, associate research professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, honorary fellow at the Liverpool 91视频 of Tropical Medicine and co-lead author of the study.
Discover Magazine
March 26, 2025
“One way to stop the spread of diseases transmitted by [mosquitoes] is to make the blood of animals and humans toxic to these blood-feeding insects,” said Lee R. Haines, a paper author and an associate research professor of biology at the University of Notre Dame.
Medical Xpress
March 26, 2025
"One way to stop the spread of diseases transmitted by insects is to make the blood of animals and humans toxic to these blood-feeding insects," said Lee R. Haines, associate research professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, honorary fellow at the Liverpool 91视频 of Tropical Medicine and co-lead author of the study.
"We thought that if we wanted to go down this route, nitisinone had to perform better than ivermectin," said Álvaro Acosta Serrano, professor of biological sciences at Notre Dame and co-corresponding author of the study.
Rust Belt Science Podcast
February 13, 2025
Bugs navigating by the stars • Cicada (butt) fungus • Fireflies (or lightning bugs) • Sleeping sickness • Seeing through the eyes of the blind • The strongest creature in the world
The Conversation
February 04, 2025
By Lee Rafuse Haines, Associate Research Professor of Molecular Parasitology and Medical Entomology at the University of Notre Dame, and Pilar Pérez Romero, Associate Professor of Virology at the University of Notre Dame.