Mosquitoes with honeybee DNA could tame malaria
Mosquitoes with honeybee DNA could tame malaria
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Population modification/replacementR. Blakely, The Times, 2022.
A new form of genetically engineered mosquito could reduce the spread of malaria in Africa, a study suggests. The addition of DNA from a honeybee and genetic material from the African clawed frog prompt the new mosquitoes to produce compounds to stunt the growth of the parasite that causes malaria. This means that the parasite, and therefore the disease, is less likely to be passed on to human victims via mosquito bite. To be useful in the real world this would have to be coupled with an existing technology known as a gene drive, a controversial genetic tool that would force the new characteristic through populations of mosquitoes as they reproduce. For malaria to spread, a female mosquito must bite someone infected with the malaria