Gene Drive in the News
A curated collection of articles from the popular press
Maui ‘ground zero’ for release of billions of biopesticide lab-altered mosquitoes
28929Michael Nevradakis, LifeSite, 2024-02-27 16:57:41.
Up to 775,992,000 bacteria-infected mosquitoes could be released in Maui every week for the next 20 years, according to Hawaii Unites, an environmental advocacy group that last month lost its bid to require the state to conduct an environmental impact statement before allowing the controversial project to proceed. Hawaii Unites in May 2023 sued the state in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit in Hawaii. The group’s president and founder, Tina Lia, told The Defender: "These biopesticide lab-altered mosquitoes are already being released in East Maui. Hawaii Unites has taken the state to court seeking a ruling to require an environmental impact statement for the project and comprehensive studies of the risks". She said Hawaii Unites describes itself as “a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and protection of our environment and natural resources,” with a focus on “protecting the health of Hawai‘i’s people, wildlife, and the ‘āina from the State of Hawaii’s biopesticide bacteria-infected mosquito experiment.”
Judge sides with Hawaii to block challenge to mosquito release plan
28925Candice Cheung, Courthouse News Service, 2024-02-27 16:29:17.
A planned program to save endemic Hawaiian birds from avian malaria by releasing thousands of biopesticide mosquitoes into Maui’s rainforest will go on, despite an attempt by an environmental nonprofit to block the project.First Circuit Court Judge John Tonaki ruled Tuesday in favor of the state of Hawaii, its Department of Land and Natural Resources and conservationists to block a lawsuit claiming the state agency did not complete a proper environmental evaluation of program aimed at curbing mosquito population to prevent them from spreading avian malaria.“This is a victory for our endangered forest birds who some native Hawaiians consider their ancestors,” Dawn Chang, chair of the state’s Board of Land and Natural Resources said in a statement. “The HEPA is an important tool that enables decisionmakers to assess environmental impacts — not the sword by which misinformation kills a project, aimed at saving native species.”
South American cities release mosquitoes to stem disease
28913Roberto González, SciDev.Net, 2024-02-20 19:48:12.
When Waldeir Barbosa da Silva explained to his family that he was going to release hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes into the open, infected with a bacterium, they were surprised. In Niterói, southeast Brazil, where da Silva lives, diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika, pose a serious public health problem. However, when mosquitoes carry the bacteria Wolbachia, naturally present in many insects, their ability to transmit these viruses decreases.
Off the news: Gene-altered mosquitoes to the rescue
28902Star Advertiser, 2024-02-20 15:13:49.
A legal attempt to block deployment of genetically modified mosquitoes in a Maui forest was rejected in Circuit Court on Tuesday — cause for celebration among those hoping to save near-extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreepers. State and federal wildlife officials plan a staged release of sterile male (nonbiting) mosquitoes on the high slopes of Haleakala, crowding out breeding males to reduce the insect population. Fortunately, the challenge to the program failed: Only a very few Hawaiian honeycreepers remain, and warmer temperatures have allowed the deadly disease-carrying mosquitoes to infiltrate the birds’ only remaining island haven.
Opinion: A cautionary tale of experimenting with genetically modified mosquitoes in Uganda
28900Barbara Ntambirweki, The Independent, 2024-02-20 14:44:38.
The Uganda Virus Research Institute is pressing forward with gene drive technology which provides a way to rapidly, permanently, and genetically modify wild animals or plants. Gene drive organisms, are a genetically modified organism (GMO) designed to spread a genetic modification through entire populations of wild or farmed species, and are promoted as a ‘solution’ to pressing problems in the fields of public health, ecology and agriculture. The capacity of gene drives to spread and persist in the environment presents novel biosafety and socio-economic concerns for both people and biodiversity. Several research projects in Africa are advancing in their experiments to develop genetically modified ‘gene drive’ mosquitoes to release into the environment as a public health intervention to combat malaria and some are already releasing GMO mosquitoes similar to those touted by Oxitec. In Africa, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda have allowed experimentation towards gene drive in their countries where some of these are under the auspices of Target Malaria – a consortium of research institutions led by laboratories based at Imperial College in the United Kingdom funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In Uganda, Target Malaria has entered in partnership with the Uganda Virus Research Institute and has commenced entomological mosquito collections from field sites around Kalangala and Mukono Districts.
Revolutionary Gene Drive Could Provide Solution for Agricultural Pest Control
28877María Alejandra Trujillo, Breaking News Network, 2024-02-13 17:35:22.
The crux of the gene drive hinges on the process of sex determination in medflies. The drive effectively converts genetic females into fertile XX males, which, unlike their female counterparts, are harmless to crops. This innovative approach presents a possibility for a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective strategy to control agricultural pests—particularly those within the same group as medflies. The study was helmed by Dr. Nikolai Windbichler and Dr. Angela Meccariello of Imperial's Department of Life Sciences. Their work adds to the progressive field of gene drives, a concept that has demonstrated efficacy in laboratory settings, especially with regards to controlling populations of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. However, no gene drives have yet been released into the wild. The success of this proof-of-concept study stands as a testament to the potential of gene drives as a tool to manage agricultural pests. Dr. Meccariello, co-leader of the research, emphasized the untapped potential of gene drives in tackling pest problems in agriculture. She believes that this breakthrough could open the door to a more sustainable and economical approach to pest control.
Otago GE Wasp Project Violates International Gene Drive Agreement
28874GE-Free NZ, Scoop, 2024-02-13 17:02:02.
Professor Dearden, Otago University, has received $11 million from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Enterprise (MBIE) to engineer wasps using gene drive technology. He is only consulting with Māori and regulators, ignoring and side-lining the views of other concerned New Zealanders. Gene Drives using gene editing CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat) technology. This genetic engineering causes a permanent modification of the organisms genome, which is passed on to all subsequent generations. Gene drives are designed to impact reproduction or kill the developing larvae. Due to the irreversibility of gene drives, any out-crossing across species could collapse the insect ecosystems affecting pollinators and food security. The approval of this gene drive application is a worldwide concern, as it overrides the decision on gene drives being considered at a global level through the UN Convention of Biodiversity (CBD). MBIE and researchers at the University of Otago have violated the agreement to work in unison with the international community. International concern has already been raised by the project.
Gene driver flies and quantum finance: News from Imperial
28872Bryony Ravate, Hayley Dunning, Imperial College London, 2024-02-13 16:54:58.
Researchers have created the first gene drive for the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), a global agricultural pest affecting food production. The team was led by Dr Nikolai Windbichler and Dr Angela Meccariello at Imperial's Department of Life Sciences, and included researchers from the University of East Anglia and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Gene drives are genetic modifications that preferentially spread throughout a species, and which are designed to reduce the population. No gene drives have been released in the wild yet, but versions in malaria-carrying mosquitos have been shown to be highly effective in the lab. This success prompted the researchers to look at other pest species that could be susceptible to similar interventions. The team were able to target the process of sex determination in medflies, creating a gene drive that transforms genetic females into fertile but harmless XX males. The proof-of-concept demonstrates how gene drives can be applied to insect pests in the same group as medflies. Dr Meccariello said: “Our results demonstrate the untapped potential for gene drives to tackle agricultural pests in an environmentally friendly and economical way.”
The $11million wasp to end (hopefully) all wasps
28867Kieran Chisnall, Stuff, 2024-01-30 20:07:32.
A new project to eradicate wasps, which cost the country millions of dollars, has begun in Dunedin. The key to that $11million project would be a genetically altered wasp, capable of destroying wasps colonies from the inside. Professor Peter Dearden, Genomics Aotearoa co-director, said: “We are using this as a test case for all New Zealand pests, a prototype for what can be done in the most ethical way, the safest way, and the way that follows the science. “What we want is to develop research to make this firstly, scientifically possible, and secondly, offer a blueprint for how it can be done, if and when New Zealand decides we want to do it.” The nationwide research led by Genomics Aotearoa began with the opening of new labs in Dunedin this week. It will be in that controlled environment where researchers will make the transgenic organism - a wasp that has been genetically modified with a flaw.
New gene-editing tools may help wipe out mosquito-borne diseases
28859Greg Allen, NPR, 2024-01-30 17:05:14.
In the age-old war of human versus mosquitoes, the bugs have been winning. At least 700,000 people die every year from mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, West Nile and yellow fever. Global trade and climate change have helped disease-carrying species become established in places like Florida, California, and Texas. In parts of the U.S., dengue is now a persistent problem. Last year, for the first time in decades, Florida and Texas reported locally-acquired malaria cases. Maryland also had a case. But by using bioengineering, scientists have developed tools they believe may help control and possibly eradicate mosquitoes that carry dengue, malaria and other diseases. Andrea Leal, the head of mosquito control in the Florida Keys says, "The good news is we've got these emerging technologies that show great promise in reducing Aedes aegypti mosquitoes."
Gene editing would be helpful for pest control, report says
28836Alex Binkley, National Newswatch, 2024-01-23 18:28:10.
Ottawa-Canada needs to boost its gene editing research capacity to better advance that branch of science’s pest control potential, says a report by the Council of Canadian Academies. There is insufficient intensive research and development activity in gene-edited pest control in the country even though research capacity in related field exists, the report said. “Better alignment among Canada’s main public research funders is needed to develop the necessary personnel, and channel the correct expertise toward responsible technology development.” Gene editing research elsewhere is rapidly evolving and “contributes to an increasing variety of prospective mechanisms of action in genetic pest control, across numerous species.” Climate change will make pest issues more complex due to its potential impacts on ecosystems. That makes a risk assessment process central to decision-making in pest control that can be used to obtain valuable stakeholder and other input for prioritizing which technologies should be supported, the report said.
Mosquito makeover: Tahiti’s groundbreaking solution to disease
28823Atutahi Potaka-Dewes, Pacific Media Network, 2024-01-19 14:49:43.
Mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting such diseases as dengue, malaria, zika, chikungunya, or filariosis, causing millions of deaths worldwide. French Polynesia is taking a groundbreaking initiative to address public health concerns and demonstrate a commitment to finding environmentally friendly solutions to curb disease spread. Building on a successful decade-long pilot project on the atoll Teti’aroa, the innovative method involves the strategic release of sterilised male Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes. The process sees the release of sterile males that will "contaminate" females, rendering them sterile and thereby naturally reducing the proliferation of the disease-bearing insect population. The Louis Malardé Institute's entomology laboratory says they have now developed an X-ray device that can mass-sterilise the males.
CRISPR engineered viruses could render other viruses harmless
28784Michael Le Page, New Scientist, 2023-12-29 13:14:45.
A virus genetically engineered to spread its DNA to other viruses via CRISPR gene editing has done exactly that in tests in mice. The hope is that these viruses could alter others, such as herpes, in a way that prevents them from causing symptoms. “It’s a new technology,” says team member Marius Walter at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington. “Can we bring it to people? That’s a long way ahead, we have a lot of work to do, but I think this is an exciting technology." This approach is known as a gene drive, when a bit of selfish DNA somehow manages to get passed down to a higher proportion of offspring than normal. This means gene drives can spread through a population even if they are disadvantageous.
Advancements in Gene Editing: Using CRISPR-Cas9 and Gene Drive Technology to Neutralize Viruses
28765Anonymous, News Directory 3, 2023-12-27 20:03:12.
Researchers from the US Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center recently published research results in the international academic journal “Nature” demonstrating that herpes virus type 1 (HSV-1) was neutralized using “Gene Drive” technology . Gene drive refers to a technology that changes the genes of a specific organism and affects the entire organism. The international academic journal Science said: “Scientists highly appreciate the potential of gene drive technology” and added: “It could be an opportunity to pave the way for modifying viral populations through genetic manipulation and using it as a new treatment."
Communicating Creatively About Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
28748Lorraine Gibson, Target Malaria, 2023-12-21 15:27:14.
In 2018, the Target Malaria team at Imperial College London published a landmark paper in Nature Biotechnology. The study demonstrated how gene drive mosquitoes successfully suppressed a population of wild-type malaria mosquitoes, marking a significant milestone for gene drive technology as a tool for malaria elimination. In our communications team working across Burkina Faso, Ghana, Uganda and the UK, we are exploring different, creative ways to explain the technology and its progress to the general public. By continually expanding our toolkit of science communications tools and embracing innovative approaches, we hope to bridge the gap between scientific advancements and the general public, in particular communities most affected by malaria, fostering understanding and support for our mission to combat malaria.
Gene drives – maybe not a silver bullet, but a bullet nonetheless
28745Jenny Leonard, New Zealand's Biological Heritage, 2023-12-20 15:26:56.
A gene drive is both a natural process and a genetic engineering technology where a gene is promoted or favoured during reproduction—instead of there being a “chance” of an offspring inheriting a gene, gene drives almost guarantee that the offspring (and subsequent offspring) will inherit that gene. The common wasp, Vespula vulgaris, is driving a lot of unwanted change in Aotearoa in the form of damaging our native ecosystems. Could genetic engineering drive country-wide eradication? A new paper uses modelling to show that eradication would probably be very difficult to achieve—but the paper also shows that a wasp gene drive could still make a significant difference in getting populations to a manageable level. In New Zealand, gene drives may be a solution for managing pests like the invasive social wasp (Vespula vulgaris). “We know we can target several genes that would stop sperm development within wasps,” says Phil Lester, a professor at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington and co-lead of Novel Tools & Strategies – Invertebrates.
African scientist could wipe out malaria by editing mosquito DNA
28731Nimi Princewill, CNN, 2023-12-19 13:03:40.
Malaria is a leading cause of death in Burkina Faso, where nearly all of the West African nation’s 22 million inhabitants, especially children, are at risk of the disease, according to the World Health Organization. Malaria killed nearly 19,000 people in Burkina Faso in 2021, the most recent data from the WHO regional office for Africa showed. The disease is also one of the main causes of death in the wider African region, which shoulders the world’s largest malaria burden. Abdoulaye Diabate faced a life-threatening bout of malaria when he was just five years old. Diabate narrowly survived the mosquito-borne disease, but cousins ages three and four were not as fortunate. Diabate, who now heads medical entomology and parasitology at Burkina Faso’s Research Institute in Health Sciences, is developing an innovative technique that could potentially wipe out malaria-transmitting mosquito species by altering their genes.
To End Malaria In Africa, a Scientist From Africa Invented Gene Drive Technology.
28728Salman Ahmad, CTN News, 2023-12-19 12:41:22.
Abdoulaye Diabate, a scientist from Africa, is currently working on a groundbreaking technology called ‘gene drive’ that has the potential to eradicate malaria or the mosquitoes that cause it from the continent. Diabate, who received the prestigious 2023 Falling Walls Prize for Science and Innovation Management, is developing an ingenious technique that can eliminate female mosquitoes responsible for transmitting malaria by modifying their genes. Using gene drive technology, the reproduction of female mosquitoes is hindered by releasing genetically modified male mosquitoes into the environment. This approach would result in a significant reduction in the number of female mosquitoes, thereby combating malaria throughout the continent.
Gene Drive: Engineered viruses take on their own kind in a new study
28711Rizwan Choudhury, Interesting Engineering, 2023-12-18 09:27:39.
Scientists are exploring a radical idea to combat viral infections: use viruses against themselves. They are testing whether introducing modified viruses into people with the same natural viruses can spread a gene that destroys the infection. This has yet to be done successfully in animals, but a study has shown it is possible in theory. The technique uses gene drives, tools that use CRISPR, a gene editing system, to speed up gene transmission in the offspring. Gene drives have been used to alter animals like mice and mosquitoes to reduce their numbers. But a recent study showed that gene drives can also work with herpesvirus-1 (HSV-1), which causes cold sores. When mice were infected with both normal and modified herpesviruses, the gene drive changed up to 90% of the viruses, which could prevent the infection from causing symptoms. Another study achieved similar results with HSV-1 in cells in the lab.
Gene Drive Technology Unlocks Innovative Potential Solutions At The Intersection Of Climate Change And Public Health
28705Krystal Birungi, African Media Agency, 2023-12-12 17:23:52.
The inaugural ‘Day of Health’ at the UN Climate Conference (COP-28) highlighted the dramatic impact of climate change on health, diseases and in particular on malaria. Heads of State and climate experts converged in Dubai to emphasise the indisputable link between climate and health, echoing WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s statement that climate change is a pressing public health issue. As we grapple with the harsh reality of half a million lives lost annually to malaria, including a child succumbing every minute in Africa, it is imperative to integrate innovative solutions that address both the disease and its broader public health implications exacerbated by climate change.
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