Gene drives tested against real-world malaria diversity
Gene drives tested against real-world malaria diversity
Tags: Africa, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Synthetic biologyMarchal, I, Nature Biotechnology, 44. 2026.
Gene drive technology, which uses genetic engineering to propagate selected genes throughout a population, is a potential strategy for blocking the spread of malaria, either by suppressing mosquito populations or by making them unable to transmit the disease. However, gene drive mosquitos have mainly been tested in laboratory settings with decade-old Plasmodium parasite strains, and it is unknown whether they can block the transmission of genetically diverse Plasmodium now in circulation. In an important step toward application, Habtewold et al. now report in Nature the adaptation of a previously developed gene drive strategy to an African context.
