Since the inception of sterile insect techniques (SITs), humans gained the ability to control vector populations to a certain degree to protect public health interests. More recently, a CRISPR based system of precision guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) has allowed for genetically modified sterile male mosquitos to rival their wildtype counterparts. Tick transgenesis is an essential step toward advancing medical and agricultural research as well as a precursor to implementing pgSIT in non-model species. Tick-borne diseases have been growing as a public health concern, thus more innovative approaches must be taken to combat the health and agricultural risks that ticks pose. However, due to the unique lifecycle and physiology of ticks, there are plenty of inherent difficulties to achieve successful transgenesis. Here, I first evaluate the complete developmental stages of the hard bodied tick Dermancentor albipictus (commonly referred to as winter ticks) to map the unique morphological changes undergoing inside the egg under laboratory conditions.

In addition, we evaluated the timing of cellularization in this species within a hour window to ensure the best possible injection window and egg survival while keeping the best chances of attaining a transgenic tick. Staining was carried out through a guided effort of collecting eggs at specific time intervals, fixing tissue at key time points, dissecting of the eggshell, and several different immunohistochemistry reactions. Future attempts at transgenesis of non-model organisms should consider the findings here as a blueprint of the necessary steps towards achieving transgenesis.