A gene-drive rescue system for the modification of malaria mosquito populations

The power and precision of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tools, recently emphasized by the awarding of the Nobel prize in Chemistry to the researchers pioneering its discovery, has revolutionized the fight against malaria by bolstering the use of control strategies based on genetically modified mosquitoes. Mosquito populations can now be reliably modified using 1) antimalarial molecules that block parasite development and 2) a CRISPR-based gene drive system that mediates their rapid spreading across the vector population.