David Schooley

Biography

Dr. Schooley’s Research:  Insect growth and development differs from that of mammals, and the hormones controlling this development have no counterpart in vertebrates. Ecdysone is a steroid which causes the shedding of the exoskeleton necessary for the insect to molt. Juvenile hormone modulates the action of ecdysone, controlling whether a larva molts to a larva or to a pupa. Juvenile hormone must be absent for a pupa to molt to an adult: this forms the basis of the insecticide methoprene, a synthetic molecule with juvenile hormone activity. He has also done a great deal of research on the identification and biochemistry of insect peptide hormones which control a variety of processes.