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Conference Announcement!!

Gordon Research Conference

May 19-24,2024

GENETIC BIOCONTROL

Castelldefels, Spain

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Frequently Asked Questions

How will mosquitoes with gene drive be tested?

What hazards are associated with gene drives?

How can gene drives control insect-borne diseases?

Can genetic biocontrol help solve other global problems?

How can genetic biocontrol serve public health?

What is genetic biocontrol?

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The Latest About Gene Drive and Genetic Biocontrol

The GeneConvene Virtual Institute is built on a database of content in the categories shown in the tab labels below. Content coming into the Virtual Institute in these categories can be seen in each tab as well as all of the content in each of the categories, organized chronologically.

The optimal strategy of incompatible insect technique (IIT) using Wolbachia and the application to malaria control

T. Matsufuji and S. Seirin-Lee, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 569:111519. 2023.

For decades, techniques to control vector population with low environmental impact have been widely explored in both field and theoretical studies. The incompatible insect technique (IIT) using Wolbachia, based on cytoplasmic incompatibility, is a technique that Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes are incapable of producing viable offspring after mating with wild-type female mosquitoes. While the IIT method experimentally ensured its effectiveness in several field works, the failure of female mosquito population control by replacement owing to the accidental contamination of Wolbachia-infected female mosquitoes has been a concern and an obstacle in implementing the IIT method in nature. In this study, we develop a population-based IIT mathematical model using cytoplasmic incompatibility and evaluate the effectiveness of the IIT method in scenarios where contamination is present or absent. In addition, by extending the model to assess the disease infection status of the human population with malaria, we evaluate the optimal release strategy and cost for successful disease control. Our study proves that IIT could be a promising method to control mosquito-borne diseases without perfect suppression of vector mosquito population regardless of contamination.

More related to this:

Releasing incompatible males drives strong suppression across populations of wild and Wolbachiat-carrying Aedes aegypti in Australia

Wolbachia-mediated sterility suppresses Aedes aegypti populations in the urban tropics

Strategies to Mitigate Establishment under the Wolbachia Incompatible Insect Technique

Optimal control and analysis of a modified trojan Y-Chromosome strategy

The optimal implementation of the Trojan Y chromosome eradication strategy of invasive species

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Scholarly Literature.

Scholarly Literature

This is an aggregation of scholarly literature from peer-reviewed journals, bioRxiv , medRxiv and arXiv preprint serversfocused on natural and engineered selfish genetic elements and genetic biocontrol. New citations are added as they appear. This content is intended for anyone interested in the scholarly literature on gene drive and genetic biocontrol.

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	A framework for identifying fertility gene targets for mammalian pest control C. C. Anna, A. Alana, E. Rey, E. Kevin, K. Sebastian, D. Ludovic, C. Jackson, E. C. Samuel, W. M. Philipp and J. G. Neil, bioRxiv, 2023.05.30.542751. 2023. Fertility-targeted gene drives have been proposed as an ethical genetic approach for managing wild populations of vertebrate pests for public health and conservation benefit. This manuscript introduces a framework to identify and evaluate target gene suitability based on ...
	An economic evaluation of Wolbachia deployments for dengue control in Vietnam H. C. Turner, D. L. Quyen, R. Dias, P. T. Huong, C. P. Simmons and K. L. Anders, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 17:e0011356. 2023. INTRODUCTION: Dengue is a major public health challenge and a growing problem due to climate change. The release of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia is a novel form of vector control against dengue. However, there remains a need to ...
	The optimal strategy of incompatible insect technique (IIT) using Wolbachia and the application to malaria control T. Matsufuji and S. Seirin-Lee, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 569:111519. 2023. For decades, techniques to control vector population with low environmental impact have been widely explored in both field and theoretical studies. The incompatible insect technique (IIT) using Wolbachia, based on cytoplasmic incompatibility, is a technique that ...
	Wolbachia protects Drosophila melanogaster against two naturally occurring and virulent viral pathogens G. Bruner-Montero and F. M. Jiggins, Scientific Reports, 13:8518. 2023. Wolbachia is a common endosymbiont that can protect insects against viral pathogens. However, whether the antiviral effects of Wolbachia have a significant effect on fitness remains unclear. We have investigated the interaction between Drosophila melanogaster, Wolbachia and two ...

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Perspectives

This is a curated collection of scholarly and non-scholarly materials that can be found in the Scholarly Literature and Media Coverage databases that are ‘opinion-heavy’. This collection is intended to capture the full range of thought and opinion about gene drive technologies.

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	Genetically Engineered Mosquito experiment in California’s Central Valley halted H. Bourque, Friends of the Earth, 2023. In a victory for environmentalists, scientists and vulnerable agricultural communities across California, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced yesterday the withdrawal of a permit request for a mass release of experimental genetically engineered ...
	Editorial: Genetic control of insect pest species—achievements, challenges, and perspectives I. Häcker, D. Bartsch, A. Choo and F. Marec, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 11. 2023. Genetic control is a type ofbiological control and a promising approach to regulate insect pest populations in a species-specific manner. It is based on targeting the reproductive capacity of the target pest species to reduce population size to non-critical levels. The best known ...
	Probing “Selfish” Centromeres Unveils an Evolutionary Arms Race M. Lampson, The Scientist, 2023. The so-called Robertsonian (Rb) fusions that led to these rapid karyotype changes are relatively common chromosomal rearrangements. But their accumulation in the populations of Madeira Island and in multiple other isolated mouse populations elsewhere is likely due to another ...
	A gene drive is a gene drive: the debate over lumping or splitting deﬁnitions S. L. James, D. A. O'Brochta, F. Randazzo and O. Akbari, Nature Communications, 2023. Gene drive technologies are being considered as a new approach to address a variety of currently intractable global problems, including to prevent disease transmission, reduce crop loss, and preserve biodiversity1. There are some outside the genetics research community who argue ...

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Media Coverage

This is a database of print and digital media coverage of gene drive technologies and genetic biocontrol-related topics. This database is intended to serve experts and non-experts by capturing how gene drive/genetic biocontrol technologies and issues around the technologies are being represented, discussed, debated and evaluated by publics.

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	Oxitec Launches New Technology Program to Develop a Friendly™ Solution for the World’s Most Damaging Cattle Tick Oxitec Ltd, Oxitec Press Release, 2023. Oxitec Ltd, the leading developer of insect-based biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock, today announced the launch of development of a targeted, biological Friendly™ solution for the world’s most devastating cattle ...
	Render pests harmless – through genetic engineering CRISPR Anonymous, Breaking Latest News, 2023. Whether ants or wild bees: It is undisputed that insects are indispensable for functioning ecosystems and thus for the survival of mankind. In agriculture, however, certain species can become a nuisance. Even insecticides do not always help and also harm the environment. ...
	Genetically Engineered Mosquito experiment in California’s Central Valley halted H. Bourque, Friends of the Earth, 2023. In a victory for environmentalists, scientists and vulnerable agricultural communities across California, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced yesterday the withdrawal of a permit request for a mass release of experimental genetically engineered ...
	Massive mosquito factory in Brazil aims to halt dengue M. Lenharo, Nature, 2023. The non-profit World Mosquito Program (WMP) has announced that it will release modified mosquitoes in many of Brazil’s urban areas over the next 10 years, with the aim of protecting up to 70 million people from diseases such as dengue. Researchers have tested the release of ...

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Risk, Regulation, and Policy

This is a collection of scholarly works, government and non-government documents and reports related to policy, risk assessment, and regulation of gene drive/genetic biocontrol technologies.

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	Leveraging eco-evolutionary models for gene drive risk assessment M. A. Combs, A. J. Golnar, J. M. Overcash, A. L. Lloyd, K. R. Hayes, D. A. O’Brochta and K. M. Pepin, Trends in Genetics, 2023. As development of gene drive systems accelerates and diversifies, predicting outcomes for target populations and the potential for human and environmental risks requires accounting for numerous eco-evolutionary processes.Gene drive dynamic models quantify the influence of ...
	Leveraging eco-evolutionary models for gene drive risk assessment M. A. Combs, A. J. Golnar, J. M. Overcash, A. L. Lloyd, K. R. Hayes, D. A. O’Brochta and K. M. Pepin, Trends in Genetics, 2023. As development of gene drive systems accelerates and diversifies, predicting outcomes for target populations and the potential for human and environmental risks requires accounting for numerous eco-evolutionary processes.Gene drive dynamic models quantify the influence of ...
	updated: Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Research Authorization Application California Department of Pesticide Regulation, California Department of Pesticide Regulation,, 2023. In May 2023, Oxitec voluntarily withdrew its research authorization application to test the use of genetically engineered mosquitoes in California. DPR did not issue a decision on the application. For more information on Oxitec’s withdrawal and future plans for research in ...
	Gene Drives D. M. Berube, Pandemics and Resilience, 2023. A “gene drive” is a version of gene editing—a newer, more precise way to change a DNA (or RNA) sequence; in this case, combining a guide RNA with an enzyme that can make a gene drive takes this to another level, making sure that a new or altered genetic sequence has a ...

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Webinars

A curated collection of webinarspertaining to gene drive/genetic biocontrol technologies.

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	Emerging Gene Drive Applications David O'Brochta, , 2023. Gene drive systems are being engineered in the laboratory and in some cases shown to be effective at rapidly altering target-gene frequencies in experimental populations. Much of this foundational work has been conducted in insects in the laboratory. This webinar series will ...
	Wolbachia Biology, Mechanisms and Applications 2022 David O'Brochta, GeneConvene Global Collaborative, 2022. Intracellular and extracellular symbiotic/commensal bacteria have enormous potential when manipulated and deployed appropriately to serve as agents of control of insects and the pathogens they transmit. Wolbachia, an intracellular bacteria, is a well studied system and one that ...
	Laboratory Containment of Arthropods Capable of Gene Drive: Best Practices and Recommendations Hector Quemada, GeneConvene Global Collaborative, 2022. This webinar is presented by members of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's American Committee of Medical Entomologists who were involved in drafting a recent Addendum to the ASTMH's Arthropod Containment Guidelines that specifically consider arthropods with ...
	Demystifying the Convention on Biological Diversity Hector Quemada and David O'Brochta, GeneConvene Global Collaborative, 2022. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international agreement aimed at providing the legal framework for country cooperation to conserve biodiversity, while also enabling its sustainable use, and providing for fair and equitable sharing of the benefits derived from ...

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Videos

Video

A curated collection of videos pertaining to gene drive/genetic biocontrol technologies. Included are videos and recorded webinars.

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	Ethical dilemma: Should we get rid of mosquitoes? Talya Hackett, TED-Ed, 2023. Mosquitoes are responsible for more human deaths every year than any other animal, but very few of the 3,500 mosquito species actually transmit deadly diseases to humans. Scientists have been conducting experiments using engineered technologies called gene drives that could ...
	Discovery of 119-Million year old Selfish Genes Casts Doubt on Established Evolution Beliefs Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 2022. Meiotic drivers, a kind of selfish gene, are indeed selfish. They are found in virtually all species’ genomes, including humans, and unjustly transfer their genetic material to more than half of their offspring, resulting in infertility and impaired organism health. Their ...
	SHOULD WE CREATE GENE DRIVE GREY SQUIRRELS S. Hartley and T. Law, GeneDriveGovernance.org, 2022. UK scientists have proposed gene drive as a management tool to control grey squirrels. Now is a good time to talk about this emerging technology because the hopes and concerns of experts, stakeholders and the public can help to determine if or how it might be developed. To help ...
	WORLDWIDE: EXPERTS ON GENE DRIVES Stop Gene Drive, STOP GENE DRIVES, 2022. We are travelling the world speaking to some of the world’s leading thinkers, activists and academics on the impact of gene drives. We interviewed more than 20 experts from around the world

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Podcasts

A curated collection of podcasts pertaining to gene drive/genetic biocontrol technologies.

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	Introducing Emerging Health Technologies in Africa Health Tech Africa, Health Tech Africa Podcast, 2023. In this episode, the Project Director of the Platform for Dialogue and Action on Health Technologies in Africa, Professor Richard Mukabana, discusses new technologies that if well developed and proven safe and effective, have enormous potential to eradicate disease on the ...
	Genetically-Modified Mosquitos Could Soon Be Released in California A. Madrigal, KQED, 2022. Millions of genetically-modified, non-biting mosquitoes may soon be set loose in California after federal regulators gave the green light to a study aimed at preventing transmission of diseases like Zika and dengue. British biotech firm Oxitech says its technology alters male ...
	Will genetic modification of mosquitoes take a bite out of insects’ population? N. Patel, KCRW, 2022. An invasive species of aggressive “ankle biters” called the Aedes aegypti mosquito is now in LA, and it’s spreading quickly. These tiny vampires can lay eggs in a space as small as a water-filled bottle cap, and they carry diseases like yellow fever and dengue. A British ...
	An army of genetically engineered mosquitoes is about to be released M. Menard, KNX NEWS, 2022. A British biotech company has been altering the DNA of mosquitoes with the goal of killing off a more dangerous breed capable of spreading deadly diseases. And now they’re preparing to release their “friendly mosquitoes” into the wild. In California. Aedes aegypti is an ...

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Infographics

A curated collection of infographics related to gene drive technologies.

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	How We’re Reducing Disease With Genetically Modified Mosquitoes V. Wise, HealthMatch, 2022. We all know mosquitoes as those annoying insects we swat away from our faces. They carry diseases, so we don’t want them anywhere near us. There are over 200 types of wild mosquitoes bugging us across America and the U.S. territories. Approximately 12 types can spread disease, ...
	Using Gene Drive to Control Malaria The Scientist, The Scientist, 2016. This article provides illustrations for how gene drive works, how gene drives spread, and how gene drive could be used to control malaria using population-wide gene knockout, skewed sex ratio, and population-wide gene knock-in techniques. Visit the article to view all ...
	What is Gene Drive? Entomological Society of America, 2015. A fact sheet from the Entomological Society of America.

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Projects, Programs and Companies

in the genetic biocontrol space

African Genetic Biocontrol Consortium

The AGBC is committed to contributing and expanding research, development, and use of genetic biocontrol approaches to control and eliminate malaria and other vector-borne diseases in Africa.

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Gene Drive Governance

Gene Drive Governance is a network of world-leading researchers from Europe, Africa, North America and Australasia who are committed to understanding gene drive governance.

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Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research

The Outreach Network coordinates, shares information and engages with stakeholders to raise awareness of the value of gene drive research for the public good.

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BioBee

BioBee offers the most advanced environmentally friendly options for biological pest control including the Sterile Insect Technique

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FruitFly Africa

FruitFly Africa (FFA) is an industry service company, owned and managed by the following stakeholders: HORTGRO (Pome & Stone), Canning Fruit Producers Association, Raisins SA, South African Table Grape Industry, Agricultural Research Council and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD)

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UCI-Malaria Initiative

UCI-MI is a project developing gene drive technologies for Anopheles mosquitoes that will drive transgenes into wild populations of the insects to reduce their capacity to transmit malaria.

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Target Malaria

Target Malaria is a project aiming to reduce the population of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in sub-Saharan Africa using gene drive technologies and thereby reduce transmission of the disease

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GBIRd

GBIRd is investigating the feasibility and suitability of gene drive technologies to be used to reduce invasive rodent populations to protect island ecosystems and prevent island species extinctions

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BigSis

BigSis has reinvented the sterile insect technique (SIT) by automating the individualised production of sterile male insects. This requires integrating biology, engineering and artificial intelligence capabilities to deliver a highly automated production process.

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X Sterile Insect Technique

X Sterile Insect Technique (Pty) Ltd provides effective, environmentally-friendly control of Thaumatotibia leucotreta or False Codling Moth (FCM) in citrus, table grapes, stone fruits and various other deciduous varieties,

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Joint FAO/IAEA Programme

FAO/IAEA-IPCS applies the Sterile Insect Technique where feasible to enhance food security and international trade and are pioneers in the development and use of SIT.

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FAO IAEA SIT Directory

A database of SIT and other currently active autocidal programs maintained by the IAEA. An excellent resource for exploring the use of SIT worldwide.

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World Mosquito Program

The WMP deploys Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti to modify wild populations by reducing their capacity to transmit dengue, zika and other positive strand RNA viruses.

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Synbal

Synbal uses our Active Genetics platform technology to provide super-Mendelian transgenic laboratory animal models expressing multiple human genes for research and development

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MosquitoMate, Inc

MosquitoMate is a company providing Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) solutions for Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus that are based on Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility.

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Debug by verily

Debug is program within Verily Life Sciences that is developing robotics for mass-rearing and sex separation of mosquitoes that integrate with Sterile Insect Technique and Incompatible Insect Technique programs.

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Wolbacki

Wolbaki provides Incompatable Insect Technique solutions for the mosquito Aedes albopictus and the brown planthopper Nilaparvada lugens based on Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility.

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Diptera.ai

Diptera.ai’s proprietary technology makes SIT affordable to everyone. Diptera.ai’s professionals release sterile Asian tiger male mosquitoes weekly during the warm season.

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Oxitec

Oxitec is a for-profit company developing and deploying transgenic insect autocidal control technologies for a variety of insect species around the world.

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BIOCENTIS

Biocentis develops eco-friendly genetic solutions to effectively and safely control the dangerous insect species that spread disease to humans, reduce biodiversity, or threaten food security.

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AGRAGENE

Precision-Guided Sterile Insect Technology™ (pgSIT)™ provides planet- and plate-friendly pest control to help enhance growth—of crops, yields, and profits.

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SENECIO Robotics

Senecio has unique multi platform solutions, utilizing deep learning for the Sex Classification together with robotics and automation for the Sorting and Packaging of mosquitoes for SIT.

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Conference Announcement!!

May 19-24,2024

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