Resumen En los años 80, tomó fuerza la ciencia dirigida al estudio del genoma humano, cuyo objetivo era mejorar la salud humana a través de la identificación de genes. Este estudio permitió el surgimiento de ciencias, entre ellas la Quimiogenómica y la Quimiogenética. La Quimiogenómica es un área interdisciplinaria que busca la sistematización del genoma al identificar, analizar, expandir y predecir las interacciones de los ligandos con las proteínas por medio de métodos in vitro e in silico. Por otro lado, la Quimiogenética se refiere al estudio de las características genéticas de un paciente para optimizar la Farmacoterapia y predecir la eficacia, los efectos secundarios y la dosificación de fármacos selectos. El conocimiento de las interacciones entre moléculas y proteínas específicas ayudaron al desarrollo de nuevas herramientas biotecnológicas y a la identificación de novedosas dianas farmacológicas que pudieran conducir a conocimientos más específicos. Algunas aplicaciones en estudio en el ámbito farmacéutico son los receptores diseñados exclusivamente activados por fármacos diseñados (DREADDs, por sus siglas en inglés). Con ellos se pretende que no se activen ante ligandos endógenos, sino en presencia de sintéticos. Actualmente existen muchas investigaciones en los cuales se estudian DREADDs para la identificación de neuronas y de vías de señalización involucradas en patologías como el miedo, la ansiedad, la depresión, la adicción y la obesidad.

Abstract In the decade of 1980, the science that studied human genome rose strongly, with the purpose of improving human health by identifying genes. These studies allowed the origin of other sciences like Chemogenomics and Chemogenetics. Chemogenomics is an interdisciplinary area that looks for the genome systematization by identifying, analyzing, expanding and predicting the interactions of ligands and proteins using the in vitro and in silico methods. In the other hand, Chemogenetics is the study of the genetic characteristics of a patient to optimize the pharmaceutical therapy and predict the efficacy, the secondary effects and the dosage of certain drugs. The knowledge of molecules and proteins interaction helped to develop new biotechnological tools and to identify novel drug targets that could conduct to more specific knowledge. One of the applications in Pharmacy are the designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs). The DREADDs may not allow the activation by the endogenous ligands, but in presence of endogenous ones. Actually, there are lots of investigations in which DREADDs are being studied for the identification of neurons and signalization routes involved in pathologies such as fear, anxiety, depression, addiction, and obesity.

Traditional mosquito control strategies rely heavily on the use of chemical insecticides. However, concerns about the efficiency of traditional control methods, environmental impact and emerging pesticide resistance have highlighted the necessity for developing innovative tools for mosquito control. Some novel strategies, including release of insects carrying a dominant lethal gene (RIDL®), rely on the sustained release of modified male mosquitoes and therefore benefit from a thorough understanding of the biology of the male of the species. In this report we present the results of a mark-release-recapture study aimed at: (i) establishing the survival in the field of laboratory-reared, wild-type male Aedes aegypti and (b) estimating the size of the local adult Ae. aegypti population. The study took place in Panama, a country where recent increases in the incidence and severity of dengue cases have prompted health authorities to evaluate alternative strategies for vector control. Results suggest a life expectancy of 2.3 days for released male mosquitoes (confidence interval: 1.78-2.86). Overall, the male mosquito population was estimated at 58 males/ha (range 12-81 males/ha), which can be extrapolated to an average of 0.64 pupae/person for the study area. The practical implications of these results are discussed.