Gene Drive in the News
A curated collection of articles from the popular press
Florida OKs release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Keys to slow insect disease spread
13952S. Mann, Just the News, 2020-08-20 15:34:23.
Florida officials are authorizing a biotech company to release hundreds of millions of genetically-modified male mosquitoes into the Florida Keys to reduce future mosquito populations that spread diseases including yellow fever and malaria.
Florida Keys to release modified mosqutioes to fight illness
13949C. Anderson, Associated Press, 2020-08-20 15:30:15.
Sometime next year, genetically modified mosquitoes will be released in the Florida Keys in an effort to combat persistent insect-borne diseases such as Dengue fever and the Zika virus. The plan approved this week by the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District calls for a pilot project in 2021 involving the striped-legged Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is not native to Florida.
Florida to Release Millions of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Against Local Residents’ Wishes
13946N. Rice, People, 2020-08-20 15:27:38.
A plan to release over 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys has received final approval. According to CNN, on Tuesday, local authorities approved a plan to release the genetically modified mosquitoes in the Sunshine State's string of islands, with the hope of preventing a string of diseases that the insects can carry.
Plan to Release 750M GMO Mosquitoes Gets Go Ahead
13944R. Quinn, newser, 2020-08-20 15:23:41.
The plan to release the genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes received final approval from local authorities Tuesday, causing an outcry from groups opposed to what they call a "Jurassic Park experiment," CNN reports.
‘A Jurassic Park Experiment’: Watchdog Groups Denounce Decision to Release Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Florida
13975L. Newcomb, Common Dreams, 2020-08-19 15:54:09.
Food safety and environmental groups Wednesday condemned a decision by officials in Florida to approve the release of 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes, a pilot project aimed at reducing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
Florida Keys to release 750M genetically modified mosquitoes
13972D. Haynes, UPI, 2020-08-19 15:51:58.
Local authorities in the Florida Keys gave their approval Wednesday to a plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes to prevent the spread of dengue fever and other diseases. The Monroe County Mosquito Control District signed off on the project, which would release about 750 million mosquitoes engineered to produce dead offspring.
To combat disease-spreading mosquitoes in the Keys, leaders vote to unleash lab bugs
13964D. Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2020-08-19 15:44:52.
Florida Keys officials have voted to allow the experimental release of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes into a yet-to-be-decided area of the island chain.
Viewpoint: Is there a scientific basis to ban gene drive technology that can rid us of virus-carrying rodents and mosquitoes?
13845K. Vavitas, Genetic Literacy Project, 2020-08-18 13:51:23.
Gene drives may be invaluable tools to control the spread of parasites, invasive species, and disease carriers. But the technology has faced strong opposition from activist groups and some mainstream scientists based on environmental and food safety. Are these concerns valid?
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Cleared for Florida Keys Release
13901J. Kay, Bloomber Law, 2020-08-18 13:36:35.
Genetically engineered mosquitoes will be released in the Florida Keys in 2021 to try to reduce the population of a biting insect pest that spreads Zika, dengue fever, and yellow fever, local officials said Tuesday.
Cytoplasmic incompatibility: an autocidal mechanism for mosquito population control
13893V. Dev, BugBitten BMC, 2020-08-18 13:23:13.
Cytoplasmic incompatibility resulting in non-reciprocal fertility is a naturally occurring phenomenon, but remains unexplored to greater extent for the control of insect vector populations. This mechanism deserves priority for mosquito control and reducing disease transmission, being non-insecticidal and easier to operate with minimal investments.
Researchers’ Plan To Release Genetically Engineered American Chestnut Trees in Forests Will Set Dangerous Precedents If Approved
13890Global Justice Ecology Project, Common Dreams, 2020-08-18 13:20:50.
Researchers are working with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to finalize a petition requesting the unprecedented approval of a genetically engineered (GE or genetically modified) tree designed to be planted in our forests and spread freely in the wild. Once the internal petition process is complete, the USDA will release it for public comment. This is expected to occur at any time.
Keys Mosquito Control Board Approves First U.S. Trial Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
13887N. Klingener, WLRN, 2020-08-18 13:16:55.
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board approved a trial Tuesday of genetically modified mosquitoes on the island chain. This would be the first U.S. trial of the genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can transmit diseases like Zika and dengue.
Survival of the fit-ish
13897Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Science Daily, 2020-08-17 13:27:56.
In a paper published online August 13, 2020, in eLife, members of the Zanders lab explain how it could be possible that meiotic drivers persist in the population, even as they kill off many would-be hosts. It turns out that S. pombe can employ variants of other genes to help suppress the negative effect of meiotic drivers, albeit at a cost to fitness.
Study Could Lead to Power Over Parasite
13633D. Shore, 2020-08-06 14:13:11.
Scientists have long had a name for a gruesome insect that feeds on live flesh of warm-blooded mammals: C. hominivorax, Latin for “man eater.” But now, they have the parasite’s number. In a paper published this week in the journal Communications Biology, researchers from across the United States and beyond describe the assembly and analysis of the New World screwworm’s genome — a map of the fly’s 534 million DNA base pairs.
CRISPR gene drives could eliminate many vector-driven pests and diseases, but challenges remain
13631J. Champer, Genetic Literacy Project, 2020-08-06 14:11:01.
A functioning gene drive system could fundamentally change our strategies for the control of vector-borne diseases by facilitating rapid dissemination of transgenes that prevent pathogen transmission or reduce vector capacity. CRISPR/Cas9 gene drive promises such a mechanism, which works by converting cells that are heterozygous for the drive construct into homozygotes, thereby enabling super-Mendelian inheritance.
Fighting malaria with genetically modified mosquitoes
13609E. Nakkazi, BMJ, 370:m2172. 2020-08-04 12:53:14.
Could a bold project to genetically engineer mosquitoes curb the scourge of malaria in Africa? Finding out will require careful science—and public acceptance, writes Esther Nakkazi
Exploring gene drive’s role in fight against malaria
13536J. Conrow, Genetic Literacy Project, 2020-08-02 17:02:28.
J. Conrow (2020) Genetic Literacy Project. An international initiative has formed to ensure that gene drive technology gets a chance to prove its mettle in the quest to control malaria.
Meet Cosmo, the gene-edited Crispr calf
13590S. D. McClain, Capital Press, 2020-07-31 12:56:28.
Cosmo was the grand finale of a series of experiments to create a line of genome-edited cattle tailored for the beef industry. He was designed to produce 75% male offspring.
Genetically modified mosquitoes could be released in Florida
13587wqad.com, WQAD8, 2020-07-30 12:51:49.
Cases of dengue fever are on the rise in the Florida Keys. One biotech company wants to release genetically modified mosquitoes for a pilot program.
Après les OGM, la nouvelle technique du forçage génétique inquiète écologistes et scientifiques
13595H. Leussier, Reporterre, 2020-07-28 13:04:33.
Les organismes issus du forçage génétique peuvent transmettre, sans autre intervention humaine, des gènes modifiés à tous leurs descendants. Cette technique permettrait d’éradiquer des espèces nuisibles, comme certains moustiques vecteurs de la malaria. Mais des associations, des scientifiques et des responsables politiques, inquiets de potentiels effets dévastateurs, réclament un moratoire international.
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