Scientists’ novel technology to conserve mosquitoes
Scientists’ novel technology to conserve mosquitoes
Tags: Gene drive, Malaria, MosquitoesMilliam Murigi, People Daily, 2024.
As the world celebrates World Mosquito Day today, scientists have introduced a revolutionary technology that could conserve mosquitoes instead of killing them while eliminating some of the diseases transmitted by mosquitos.
Known as gene drive technology, this innovative approach promises to eliminate malaria one of the diseases that is transmitted by mosquitos without harming the mosquito population a crucial aspect that could make this solution both effective and environmentally sustainable.
“Gene drives have been successfully tested in laboratory settings to reduce mosquito fertility and spread resistance genes against the malaria parasite. There are field trials and pilot studies underway to test the effectiveness and safety of gene drives in real-world environments,” says Dr Willy Tonui. Tonui, the Chairman and Executive Director at Environmental Health Safety (EHS Consultancy Ltd) also doubles up as the Founder and Head of the Secretariat at the African Genetic Biocontrol Consortium.
