New study highlights success of gene drive technology with preventing mosquito-spread diseases
New study highlights success of gene drive technology with preventing mosquito-spread diseases
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Population modification/replacementA. Meckler-Pacheco, The California Aggie, 2020.
For the past 30 years, researchers have studied the usage of gene drive technology to stop the spread of malaria. The idea is to create genetically engineered mosquitoes (GEM) that are either resistant to carrying the malaria parasite or that fail to reproduce, which would result in the reduction of the mosquito population. The gene drive technology relies on the use of the Cas-9 enzyme, which ensures the passing of the new modified genes onto offspring in the introduced population.
“The conventional methods of treating malaria such as drugs or insecticides [are] very expensive and labor intensive,” said Gregory Lanzaro, a professor in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology. “That got us thinking about using the mosquito itself to produce a cost-effective and sustainable way to control malaria.”
For the past 30 years, researchers have studied the usage of gene drive technology to stop the spread of malaria. The idea is to create genetically engineered mosquitoes (GEM) that are either resistant to carrying the malaria parasite or that fail to reproduce, which would result in the reduction of the mosquito population. The gene drive technology relies on the use of the Cas-9 enzyme, which ensures the passing of the new modified genes onto offspring in the introduced population.
