Gene Drive in the News
A curated collection of articles from the popular press
What squirrels can teach us about why, when, and how to use gene drives
8184Rebecca Nesbit, synbiobeta, 2020-03-05 20:03:01.
As the last ice age drew to a close, red squirrels made Britain their home. They adapted to a changing landscape and thrived as the UK’s only squirrel species. That all changed in 1876 when grey squirrels were introduced to England from North America as an ornamental species in the grounds of stately homes.
Risk assessment challenges of synthetic gene drive organisms
12529E. Sirinathsinghji, TWN Biosafety Briefing, 2020-03-01 15:12:11.
Understanding the Science of Gene Drive and the Potential for an Improved Crop Pest Control System in Nigeria
14882A. Isah and R. S. M. Gidado, OFAB Nigeria, 2020-02-26 15:52:39.
Several studies have shown that the Cas9-mediated gene drive technology is cheaper and will be easily affordable by the efficient Nigerian scientists to explore. The application of the gene drive technologies have many more controls over several other devastating insects in Nigeria and may be very necessary to adopt it to rescue our ailing food crop industry from the attack by destructive insect pest of crops.
Digital droplet PCR and IDAA for the detection of CRISPR indel edits in the malaria species Anopheles stephensi
R. R. Carballar-Lejarazu, A. Kelsey, T. B. Pham, E. P. Bennett and A. A. James-Lejarazu, A. Kelsey, T. B. Pham, E. P. Bennett and A. A. James, Biotechniques, 68:172-179. 2020-02-10 18:08:59.CRISPR/Cas9 technology is a powerful tool for the design of gene-drive systems to control and/or modify mosquito vector populations; however, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated nonhomologous end joining mutations can have an important impact on generating alleles resistant to the drive and thus on drive efficiency. We demonstrate and compare the insertions or deletions (indels) detection capabilities of two techniques in the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles stephensi: Indel Detection by Amplicon Analysis (IDAA (TM)) and Droplet Digital (TM) PCR (ddPCR (TM)). Both techniques showed accuracy and reproducibility for indel frequencies across mosquito samples containing different ratios of indels of various sizes. Moreover, these techniques have advantages that make them potentially better suited for high-throughput nonhomologous end joining analysis in cage trials and contained field testing of gene- drive mosquitoes. METHOD SUMMARY Mosquito DNA was extracted with the Promega Wizard (R) Genomic DNA Purification Kit protocol and quantified with Qubit (R) 3.0 following manufacturer protocols. PCR products for IDAA and ddPCR were generated with primers spanning 150-500 bp around the target site. IDAA amplicons were sent directly to COBO Technologies for analysis. ddPCR amplicons were analyzed using the Bio- Rad QX200T ddPCR system.
Genetically engineered moths may save kale chips
7357C. Poku, BIOtechNOW, 2020-02-07 21:49:10.
Sea salt kale chips, bacon brussels sprouts, and buffalo cauliflower wings are under threat. Environmental activists will have you believe the biggest threat to our food system is pesticides. That’s not true, in fact, it’s insects—the very reason most pesticides are necessary. Insects are such a dangerous issue that Somalia recently declared a state of emergency as an “unprecedented” swarm of locusts is raising alarms about famine. Climate change has led to a rampant increase in bugs like locusts and moths, that threaten our food, and mosquitoes and ticks, that threaten people. A recent CNN article explains that diamondback moths are one of the most damaging insects because of their high reproduction rate and resistance to most insecticides.
Genetically engineered moths have been released into the wild to wipe out pests
7360K. Rogers, CNN, 2020-02-03 21:55:17.
Genetically modified diamondback moths designed to wipe out wild pest populations were released in fields for the first time in New York state. Diamondback moths are migratory pests found in the Americas, Europe, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, but especially in areas where crops can be grown yearround. In these parts -- where it's not too hot nor too cold -- are where diamondback moths cause the greatest problems, including billions of dollars in damages to cruciferous crops such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and canola. They're one of the most damaging insects because of their high reproduction rate and resistance to most insecticides.
Engineering Bugs, Resurrecting Species: The Wild World of Synthetic Biology for Conservation
7242P. Rejcek, Singularity Hub, 2020-02-02 15:56:24.
Imagine a world where a mosquito bite is just an itchy annoyance. No malaria. No dengue fever. Last month, scientists announced they had taken one more step toward that vision. A paper in the journal PLOS Pathogens described how they synthetically engineered mosquitoes to stop the spread of dengue fever, a viral tropical disease that sickens as many as 100 million people each year. Now imagine genetically tweaking an invasive species of mosquito to save native Hawaiian birds from extinction, or transferring genes from one species of endangered chestnut tree to another to help the latter resist blight. Employing the same sort of genetic engineering used to make a plant-based burger bleed, scientists are beginning to explore the ways synthetic biology could help protect biodiversity and conserve species.
Genetically modified butterflies could herald a new era in crop protection
7245Science News,, Science News, 2020-02-01 16:02:30.
New study highlights successful test including field release of genetically modified butterflies. Scientists believe this success could pave the way for an effective and sustainable approach to pest control in crops. The butterfly in question is the cruciferous moth ( Plutella xylostella ), or cabbage moth, a species of moth (butterfly) of the family Plutellidae. The agricultural industry has been trying for decades to find organic and environmentally friendly ways to fight the cruciferous moth, a species largely resistant to insecticides.
World’s First Genetically Modified Moths Released to Nature
7248M. Cage, SOMAG News, 2020-01-30 16:07:06.
There are many insect species that harm agricultural products in the world. One of them is diamond moths. Genetically modified moths were used to control these moths, which are harmful to many plants. Plutella xylostella or also known as diamond moths; One of the most harmful and destructive insects for plants such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and canola. This creature, which is also very resistant to pesticides, causes great damage to the plants it dips. Especially in China, this insect seriously undermines the growing of cabbage, one of the country’s most important crops.
GMO diamondback moth shows promise as sustainable pest control tool in first ever open-field release
7262Cornell University, Genetic Literacy Project, 2020-01-29 16:35:41.
A newly published study reports a successful, first-ever open-field release of a self-limiting, genetically engineered diamondback moth, stating that it paves the way for an effective and sustainable approach to pest control. The diamondback moth, also known as Plutella xylostella, is highly damaging to brassica crops such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and canola. This new strain of diamondback moth, developed by Oxitec Ltd, is modified to control pest diamondback moth in a targeted manner. The study showed the engineered strain had similar field behaviors to unmodified diamondback moths, with results offering promise for future protection of farmers’ brassica crops.
Scientists have released genetically modified moths
7259N. Kumar, The Times Hub, 2020-01-29 16:32:32.
In the US, the researchers decided to test emerging from genetic modification Diamondback moth, placing it in field conditions. The work was conducted by experts from new York, representing Cornell University.
GM Insects on the Horizon
7256E. Unglesbee, Progressive Farmer, 2020-01-29 16:22:18.
Diamondback moths would do well to be wary of potential mates in the years to come. Scientists recently completed the first successful field testing of a genetically modified (GM) "self-limiting" insect in the U.S., using this species. When the GM male diamondback moths are released and mate with wild female moths, they pass on a gene that causes all female offspring from the match to die in the early larval stages.
Male moths genetically modified to kill females released in the wild
7253M. Le Page, New Scientist, 2020-01-29 16:14:01.
Genetically modified male diamondback moths designed to wipe out pest populations have been released in New York state. The field trial shows that these GM moths, whose female offspring die soon after hatching, could help control this major crop pest. Oxitec, the British biotechnology company behind the trial, has already carried out field trials of this method for controlling mosquitoes that spread diseases such as dengue. However, the moth field trial is the first for a crop pest, the company says.
Can CRISPR Save Tufty Fluffytail?
6954L. Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 2020-01-24 16:19:51.
The native red squirrel population in the UK has been decimated by the encroachment of its American cousin, an invasive species. Could a “gene drive” hel
Mosquitoes Genetically Engineered To Resist Dengue Fever
6951R. Bailey, reason, 2020-01-24 16:17:17.
Gene drives could spread this beneficial trait through wild mosquito populations.
Synthetically engineered mosquitos could neutralize dengue virus infection
6943L. Woolfe, Biotechniques, 2020-01-22 15:59:46.
Dengue virus infection can be severe and life threatening. New research has developed an improved approach to controlling this deadly infection.
Mosquitoes genetically modified to combat dengue
6740Downtoearth, Down To Earth, 2020-01-20 20:22:34.
For the first time mosquitoes have been engineered to fight all 4 known types of dengue
Genetically Modified Mosquitos Neutralize Dengue Virus
6737N. P. Dyal, Infectious Disease Advisor, 2020-01-20 18:53:09.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have identified a target gene in mosquitos that renders the insects completely refractory to all 4 serotypes of the dengue virus and thus, incapable of transmitting the virus to humans, according to study results published in PLoS Pathogens
Genetically modified mosquitoes resist all dengue viruses, researchers find
6709B. Burton, C|NET, 2020-01-17 18:24:25.
This new kind of mosquito can't spread any form of the deadly disease.
Genetically engineered mosquitoes resist spreading any form of dengue
6734K. Servick, Science, 2020-01-16 18:50:53.
Recover from dengue once, and you’re not necessarily free and clear. The mosquito-borne disease marked by fever, rash, and debilitating pain results from any of four genetically distinct versions of the dengue virus. Previously infected people who get hit with a second of these “serotypes” can face more severe, even life-threatening symptoms. Now, by endowing a line of mosquitoes with an antibody against the virus, researchers have for the first time made insects that—at least in lab tests—appear unable to spread any form of the disease. In theory, these mosquitoes could be released into the wild to suppress the circulation of the virus.
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