Genetically modified mosquitoes for better health
Genetically modified mosquitoes for better health
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Gene editing, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Malaria, Population modification/replacement, Population suppression, Risk assessmentD. Devis, COSMOS, 2021.
One method of preventing these mosquito-born diseases is to use insecticides to kill the mozzies and remove them, but sometimes this only works as a short term solution, or has unintended devasting effects on the ecosystem. Another method for decreasing the number of disease-carrying mozzies is to introduce disease resistant, genetically modified mozzies. These transgenic mozzies could be part of a gene drive system where they have a newly introduced disease-resistant gene, linked up with CRISPR mechanisms that help the gene dominate in the population by continuing to copy itself through the genome. All of this requires very thorough risk assessment.
