Gene Drive in the News
A curated collection of articles from the popular press
Making mosquitoes to fight mosquitoes to prevent dengue
17484A. George, Times of India, 2021-06-14 15:04:01.
In 2017, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted that the national capitl needed to be made mosquito-free. The same year, his Kerala counterpart, Pinaray Vijayan, called a three-day state-wide cleanliness drive as hospitals filled with genue patients.
The First Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Have Just Been Released in The US
17303Admin, Science World, 2021-06-11 11:14:27.
The biotech firm Oxitec has released its genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys, with the goal of suppressing wild, disease-carrying mosquito populations in the region. This is the first time genetically modified mosquitoes have been released in the US. Oxitec previously released its modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Panama, and Malaysia, and the company reported that local A. aegypti populations fell by at least 90 percent in those locations, Live Science previously reported. A. aegypti can carry diseases such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever, and releasing modified mosquitoes offers a way to control the population without using pesticides. Oxitec's modified mosquitoes, all male, have been engineered to carry a lethal gene; when the modified pests mate with wild female mosquitoes, the lethal gene gets passed on to their offspring.
Wolbachia-Infected Mosquitoes Stymie Dengue’s Spread: Study
S. Williams, The Scientist, 2021-06-10 14:57:32.Distributing mosquito eggs infected with Wolbachia bacteria led to a dramatic fall in dengue cases and hospitalizations in areas that got the intervention compared with those that didn’t, researchers report today (June 10) in The New England Journal of Medicine. While research on Wolbachia as a potential public health tool for combating dengue dates back more than a decade, this is the first randomized trial of the strategy. “That provides the gold standard of evidence that Wolbachia is a highly effective intervention against dengue,” Oliver Brady, a dengue expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who was not involved in the study, tells The Atlantic. “It has the potential to revolutionize mosquito control.” Wolbachia is present in numerous arthropod species, where it manipulates reproduction in its hosts to ensure it becomes widespread in the population. Lab experiments indicated that once in mosquitos, Wolbachia competes for resources with the virus that causes dengue, preventing the virus from taking hold in the host. (This principle also holds with other viruses, such as Zika.)
Dengue Fever Cut Down by 77% With Groundbreaking Bacteria-Armed Mosquitoes
17322M. Davis, The Science Times, 2021-06-10 12:02:22.
Scientists found that dengue fever cases have decreased by 77% in a groundbreaking trial that took place in Yogyakarta City, Indonesia. They used Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes that reduced their ability to spread the dengue fever. The team at the World Mosquito Program said that this could be a solution to dengue fever that is prevalent around the world. Dr. Katie Anders, one of the researchers, described the trial of using Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in Indonesia as a "naturally miraculous" solution. Wolbachia is a virus-fighting bacteria that has been approved since 2017 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in the United States. Other interventions, like genetically modified mosquitoes, are also used to combat dengue fever and other diseases caused by mosquitoes. According to BBC News, Wolbachia does not harm the mosquito, but it will only be stored in the same parts of the mosquito's body where the dengue virus is kept. It competes for the resources, preventing the dengue virus to replicate, and therefore the mosquito is less likely to cause the infection when it bites. Moreover, Wolbachia bacteria can also manipulate and alter the fertility of their hosts. They make sure that they are passed on to the next generation of mosquitoes, which means they are established and should stick around for a long time to continue their protective abilities against dengue fever.
Mosquito ‘bacteria hack’ nearly eliminates dengue fever and could save millions of lives
17316A. Wilkins, METRO, 2021-06-10 11:50:12.
Mosquitoes infected with a ‘miraculous’ bacteria have been shown to reduce dengue fever cases by 77%, in a groundbreaking new study. Scientists released mosquitoes infected with ‘Wolbachia’ bacteria into the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta – but only in certain zones. In the zones where the modified mosquitoes had been released, cases of dengue fell by 77% and hospitalisations dropped by 86%. The results of the study, carried out by the World Mosquito Programme (WMP), were ‘better than we could have hoped for’, according to researcher Dr. Katie Anders. Cases of dengue fever, a virus that can cause muscle and bone pain, and death, have risen rapidly in the past decades – there are an estimated 400 million cases a year. The Wolbachia bacteria used in the trial were chosen because it hides in the same parts of a mosquito’s body that dengue virus hides in. A bacteria that is benign to humans, the Wolbachia then competes for resources with the dengue virus, which makes it less likely for the mosquito to cause a dengue infection when it bites a human.
‘Miraculous’ mosquito hack cuts dengue by 77%
17311J. Gallagher, BBC, 2021-06-10 11:38:57.
Dengue fever cases have been cut by 77% in a "groundbreaking" trial that manipulates the mosquitoes that spread it, say scientists. They used mosquitoes infected with "miraculous" bacteria that reduce the insect's ability to spread dengue. The trial took place in Yogyakarta city, Indonesia, and is being expanded in the hope of eradicating the virus. The World Mosquito Programme team says it could be a solution to a virus that has gone around the world. Few people had heard of dengue 50 years ago, but it has been a relentless slow-burning pandemic and cases have increased dramatically. In 1970, only nine countries had faced severe dengue outbreaks, now there are up to 400 million infections a year. Dengue is commonly known as "break-bone fever" because it causes severe pain in muscles and bones and explosive outbreaks can overwhelm hospitals.
Modified mosquitoes reduce dengue cases by 77% in Indonesia experiment
17309M. Fox, CNN, 2021-06-10 11:32:59.
An experiment to infect mosquitoes with bacteria that stop them from transmitting viruses appears to have helped reduced the spread of deadly dengue virus in Indonesia, researchers reported Wednesday. The modified mosquitoes thrived for three years, and cases of dengue were reduced by 77% in areas where they were introduced, the researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. The mosquitoes are infected with bacteria called Wolbachia, which not only interfere with the ability of viruses to live in the bodies of the insects, but which also control reproduction so that the mosquitoes only have Wolbachia-infected offspring. The result is a growing population of insects that don't pass on viruses such as dengue, yellow fever and Zika. The study involved more than 8,000 people, about half of whom lived in areas where the modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes had been living and breeding.
A Pivotal Mosquito Experiment Could Not Have Gone Better
17294E. Yong, The Atlantic, 2021-06-10 10:50:58.
The World Mosquito Program (WMP), a nonprofit that pioneered this technique, had run small pilot studies in Australia that suggested it could work. Utarini, who co-leads WMP Yogyakarta, has now shown conclusively that it does. Her team released Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes in parts of Yogyakarta as part of a randomized controlled trial. The results, which were unveiled last year and have now been published, showed that Wolbachia rapidly spread among the local mosquitoes, and reduced the incidence of dengue by 77 percent. “That provides the gold standard of evidence that Wolbachia is a highly effective intervention against dengue,” says Oliver Brady, a dengue expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who was not involved in the study. “It has the potential to revolutionize mosquito control.” The trial’s results were so encouraging that the researchers have since released Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes over all of central Yogyakarta—a 32-square-kilometer zone that’s home to more than 400,000 people. They’re now expanding into the densest surrounding provinces, aiming to protect 4 million people by the end of 2022. If they succeed, they should be able to prevent more than 10,000 dengue infections every year, Katherine Anders of the WMP told me. And the team is optimistic enough that it’s daring to think about an even grander goal: eliminating dengue from the city altogether.
How AI and mosquito sex parties can save the world
17660D. Takahashi, Ventura Beat, 2021-06-09 19:43:52.
Jerusalem-based Diptera.ai has figured out a way to use AI to fight the growing threat of mosquitoes, which are spreading malaria and viruses like Zika, dengue, and yellow fever. While the method for fighting mosquitoes has been around for decades, AI can take it to a new level and democratize what was otherwise a very costly and localized abatement effort. We’ll get to the sex parties in a bit. Diptera.ai is using computer vision and eco-friendly technology to make it easier to control mosquito populations using the sterile insect technique, which sends sterilized male mosquitoes to mate with female mosquitoes, said Diptera.ai CEO Vic Levitin, in an interview with VentureBeat. “We think we can disrupt the $100 billion pest control market,” Levitin said, noting that many other pest control methods are toxic to both humans and the environment.
Mosquitoes armed with virus-fighting bacteria sharply curb dengue infections, hospitalizations
17319K. Servick, Science, 2021-06-09 11:55:26.
A strategy for fighting dengue fever with bacteria-armed mosquitoes has passed its most rigorous test yet: a large, randomized, controlled trial. Researchers reported today dramatic reductions in rates of dengue infection and hospitalization in areas of an Indonesian city where the disease-fighting mosquitoes were released. The team expects the World Health Organization (WHO) to formally recommend the approach for broader use. The findings are a “breakthrough” that brings the approach “much closer to … being an official strategy to control dengue,” says Ewa Chrostek, an infection biologist at the University of Liverpool who was not involved with the work. WHO estimates there are 100 million to 400 million infections per year with dengue, which can cause high fever and severe joint pain. The bacterium Wolbachia pipientis naturally inhabits many insects, though not Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the main transmitter of dengue virus. In A. aegypti cells, the bacterium can block viruses, including dengue, from replicating, making the insects less likely to spread disease when they bite humans. That has made the microbe a promising strategy for fighting dengue. In tropical regions, where mosquito-borne viruses are common, other strategies such as insecticides have failed to fully control the disease.
Study demonstrates ‘exciting potential’ of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes to control dengue
17313G. Gallagher, Healio, 2021-06-09 11:43:08.
The release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes led to a 77% reduction in the incidence of symptomatic dengue in an Indonesian city, according to researchers, who said the same approach could be used to fight other mosquito-borne diseases. The study tested a strain of Wolbachia pipientis called wMel that makes Aedes aegypti mosquitoes less susceptible to dengue virus infection. Wolbachia pipientis occurs naturally in many insects but not A. aegypti, the primary vector of dengue, according to Adi Utarini, PhD, MPH, MSc, and colleagues from the nonprofit World Mosquito Program, which has been releasing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in the wild since 2011. A study in Indonesia demonstrated the potential of a natural intervention to significantly reduce the incidence of dengue, the world’s most prevalent mosquito-borne disease. “Wolbachia facilitates its own population introgression by manipulating reproductive outcomes between wild-type and Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes: the only viable mating outcomes are those in which the progeny are infected with Wolbachia,” they wrote in the new report, which was published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.
‘Nigeria has capacity for safe application of modern biotechnology’
17298M. Adewale, The Guardian, 2021-06-09 11:00:41.
Director-general of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Rufus Ebegba, has declared that Nigeria has the capacity to deploy safe biotechnology products for agricultural development and environmental safety. Ebegba, who gave the assurance at the opening of a two-day retreat on agricultural biotechnology for media practitioners and extension workers yesterday in Kano, explained that Nigeria possessed the institutional capacity and policy framework to ensure the application of modern technology, especially on agricultural production with the potential to accelerate food security and reduce import dependency. He stressed that the establishment of the NBDA, which necessitated the development of national policy on biotechnology in 2001 and the enactment of the agency, mandated to ensure the safety of modern biotechnology products, has positioned the country with the knowledge to deploy Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) products. Ebegba stressed that part of the core responsibility of NBDA was to ensure the regulation of biotechnology and the safety of GMO products for human health and the environment.
European Parliament calls for ban on gene drive technology
17296Save Our Seeds, Save Our Seeds, 2021-06-09 10:56:17.
The European Parliament yesterday confirmedi it‘s precautionary stance towards the use of a new genetic engineering technology called gene drive. In its report on the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, adopted at the European Parliament’s plenary on 08.06.2021, Parliamentarians demand that „no releases of genetically engineered gene drive organisms should be allowed, including for nature conservation purposes, in line with the precautionary principle.“ Mareike Imken, coordinator of the European Stop Gene Drive Campaign welcomes this decision and comments: „With its position today, the European Parliament recognizes that this technology raises a series of scientific, regulatory, societal and ethical questions and concerns. As its use could severely harm biodiversity, the European Parliament calls to postpone any environmental releases until these questions have been addressed and settled. This is an important message that should feed into the ongoing discussions about global regulations at the next meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in September in Marseille and those of the Convention on Biological Diversity in October in Kunming, China.“ 27 civil society and science organisations from across the EU had sent a letter to Parliamentarians in support of the amendment ahead of the vote. It „provides reasonable suggestions on how to implement the European Parliament’s previous position in its resolution on the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (2019/2824(RSP)“. In that previous position, adopted in January 2020, the European Parliament had called “on the Commission and the Member States to call for a global moratorium at the COP15 on releases of gene drive organisms into nature, including field trials, in order to prevent these new technologies from being released prematurely and to uphold the precautionary principle, which is enshrined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union as well as the CBD“.
Living With the Limits of Our New Clerisy’s Knowledge
17306R. Fernandez, PJ Media, 2021-06-08 11:22:01.
We are living in a strange time when reason has fallen short of human expectations and there is, once again, pressure to place our trust in faith. Leighton Woodhouse hit the nail on the head when he argued that we have appointed a New Clerisy to rule over us, not because they are infallible but to save ourselves from the tide of uncertainty that seems to have engulfed our once seemingly confident global world. Unfortunately, the new clergy seem too fallible to take on trust. They flip-flop on expert advice and one scientist denounces the other on YouTube. Once things seemed more cut and dried. Once we were at the End of History. Science could predict the future more or less and the public hoped with increasing accuracy. Ever since the 17th century, the expectation was that the scientific revolution would supply the answers. As the frontier moved from the simple, computable problems of the early 20th century to complex systems — of which biotechnology, artificial intelligence, social networks, and eco-engineering are prime examples — they began to involve the management of uncertainty because it was difficult to control all the variables involved. The care with which some scientists have approached the subject of gene drives, a biological technology as powerful as “gain of function,” illustrates the challenges of dealing with uncertainties.
Victory: NSW Government Invests in Humane Mice Control!
17224PETA Australia, PETA Australia, 2021-06-05 16:21:19.
Just two weeks after calling us “brainless” for suggesting that the state government invest in more ethical, eco-friendly methods of mice control – Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall announced a $1.8 million package to “fast-track the delivery of next generation ‘gene drive’ technology to control future plagues”. The money will fund a three-year programme of genetic biocontrol research, led by the University of Adelaide, CSIRO, and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, to identify fast-acting gene drives designed to spread an inherited characteristic through a population. The research will test two strategies for population control, including an approach which eliminates sperm carrying the X chromosome, producing more male than female offspring, and a second approach of making female mice infertile. PETA has been talking about immunocontraception methods of controlling invasive animal populations for years, so we’re pleased to see the government is finally using science to tackle this problem in a more ethical and eco-friendly manner. Had it acted sooner, millions of small animals, including non-target species, would have been spared slow and agonising deaths. Last month, the New South Wales government announced it would use a new, strong poison and spruiked it as “napalm” for mice. Leading rodent experts questioned the plan, warning that the poison’s use came with a high risk of killing native and domestic animals as well. Dr Peter Brown, leader of the rodent management research team at CSIRO, told The Guardian, “The anti-coagulants can accumulate up through the food chain, and so birds of prey or other animals can be feeding on dead mice and they could potentially get a lethal dose themselves through secondary poisoning.”
Gene tech to prevent crossbreeding could safely harness the power of gene drives
17212I. l. Guillou, The Science Advisory Board, 2021-06-04 15:52:06.
A new gene engineering technology could allow scientists to harness the benefits of releasing genetically modified animals into the wild without the risk of uncontrolled spread. The new study, published in the journal Nature Communications on June 2, could help in the battle against the spread of diseases like malaria. The advent of the genetic age offers the tantalizing prospect of being able to genetically alter animals, such as pests and disease vectors, to reduce the harm they cause to society. However, any technology with the ability to make a difference on a significant scale would also have the potential to cause serious damage if it went out of control. Gene drives are one such technology. These genetic modifications are designed to spread through a population quickly and rely on the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system to make a duplicate copy of the gene drive on the partner chromosome. This means that all offspring inherit the gene, compared to only 50% through normal genetic inheritance. However, there are concerns about the effect of releasing such gene drives into the wild. Unintended consequences, potentially due to mutations or ecological shifts, could be irreversible. This has led geneticists to search for new versions of gene drives that can prevent unrestricted spread by stopping engineered animals from crossbreeding with the wild population. Approaches previously developed have severe limitations, such as not working in multicellular organisms, causing high fitness costs, or working incompletely.
New biocontrol research to help prevent mice plagues
17206Anonymous, The National Tribune, 2021-06-04 15:41:51.
Scientists at the University of Adelaide are partnering with the CSIRO and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions on breakthrough genetic biocontrol research to help control mice populations and prevent future mice plagues. The three-year research program will identify fast acting gene drives, which are designed to spread an inherited characteristic for population control through mice populations at higher-than-normal rates. This would effectively enable scientists to interrupt the breeding cycle and keep mice populations at manageable levels. The NSW Government will provide $1.8 million towards the project to fast-track the delivery of the ‘gene drive technology’ as part of a range of measures not only to mitigate the impacts of the mice currently across NSW, but also to create options to reduce the impact of future population spikes.
Gene drive could be a game changer for future mouse control.
17214Anonymous, Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, 2021-06-03 16:02:28.
We are proud to announce we will be coordinating a brand new, three-year program of genetic biocontrol research, which will identify fast acting gene drives designed to spread an inherited characteristic through a population at higher-than-normal rates. Using targeted gene drives, scientists aim to interrupt the breeding cycle of mice and potentially other ferals, which could keep populations at manageable levels. The $1.8 million research program will be led by Professor Paul Thomas at our partner organisation the University of Adelaide in collaboration with our member organisation CSIRO. The NSW Minister for Agriculture, Adam Marshall said cutting edge solutions meant future mouse plagues could be extinguished before they begin. This specific research funding will test two strategies for population control and recommend at least one for future suppression of mice. The ‘X-shredder’ approach eliminates sperm carrying the X chromosome, producing more male than female offspring. The ‘female infertility’ approach spreads a genetic modification that would eventually make females infertile. We look forward to seeing the outcomes of this world-class innovative research being led by Aussie scientists.
“Gene Drive” Technology To Control Mouse Invasions | Liverpool City Champion
17208T. Carrington, Liverpool IL, 2021-06-03 15:45:57.
As western New South Wales faces a devastating mouse plague, the government is investing in groundbreaking genetic biocontrol research that could transform pest management in Australia. Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said the NSW government will provide $ 1.8 million for the project to accelerate delivery of next-generation ‘gene drive’ technology to control future plagues. “The government has invested $ 50 million in a range of supportive measures, not only to mitigate the impacts of the mice that are currently crawling across much of New South Wales, but also to create options to reduce l ‘impact of future population peaks, “he said. Thursday. Until now, farmers had to rely on baiting and trapping to control mouse infestations, but the government is now “accelerating critical research to bring mouse control into the 21st century,” he said. declared. The three-year genetic biocontrol research program will identify fast-acting gene drives that are designed to spread an inherited trait through a population at above normal rates.
Australia plots biological warfare to eradicate rampaging ‘mouse plague’
17204J. Smyth, Financial Times, 2021-06-03 15:37:11.
Australia is home to some of the world’s most fearsome creatures. But none is more destructive than the humble house mouse, a plague of which is rampaging across vast swaths of farmland and terrorising countryfolk. Farmers in New South Wales, the worst affected state, warned the furry critters could cost them A$1bn ($765m) in lost crops and poison baits this season. Residents in rural towns have been fighting a six-month battle against the army of wild house mice, which has gnawed through wiring on home appliances, polluted water supplies and even bitten patients in hospital beds. Scientists said the plague was bolstered by favourable weather conditions after years of drought and the nation’s second biggest grain harvest on record. State authorities have proposed “napalming” the mice by allowing farmers to use the poison bromadiolone against the mice, which has ignited a furious debate over its environmental impact.
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