Genetically changed mosquitoes could transform Africa’s long fight against malaria
Genetically changed mosquitoes could transform Africa’s long fight against malaria
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Gene drive synthetic, MalariaL. Singh, ForumIAS, 2021.
In nature, there’s a phenomenon called gene drive which operates in the process of reproduction. This is when a genetic element is able to increase the chance that it will be inherited by offspring. The general underlying principle of all gene drives is an organism that will produce offspring similar to themselves. Some characteristics are randomly passed on from parents to the next generation. However, gene drive forces a different type of inheritance that ensures a specific characteristic is always present in the next generation. Scientists engineer gene drive using various molecular tools. Gene drive is not just a human invention; some occur naturally in insects. Unlike traditional genetic modification, gene drives enable extremely rapid spread of the desired characteristics.
