The fight against malaria
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The Week US,
The Week,
2023.
Some scientists are betting on genetically modified mosquitoes. On the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, 200 miles off Africa’s west coast, University of California researchers are aiming to replace local mosquitoes with lab-tweaked insects that can’t transmit the malaria parasite. If the modified mosquitoes mate with wild mosquitoes, they could render nearly every insect immune to the parasite in a few generations — mere months for mosquitoes. Another project, from British biotech firm Oxitec and backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is modifying male mosquitoes to ensure they have only male progeny; unlike female mosquitoes, males don’t bite and so can’t spread the disease. More related to this: Here’s the Plan to End Malaria With Crispr-Edited Mosquitoes
Gene drive turns mosquitoes into malaria fighters Gene drives to fight malaria: current state and future directions Using gene drive technologies to control vector-borne infectious diseases Can we kill the dreaded mosquito? Do we even want to? |
