Gene Drive in the News

A curated collection of articles from the popular press

Bill Gates Releasing Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Florida? Here’s the Whole Story

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M. Dapcevich,  Snopes,  2021-06-03 14:44:33.
Bill Gates is not himself releasing mosquitoes into the wild. However, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation did award grants that funded biotech company Oxitec's work to develop genetically modified mosquitoes that may help reduce the spread of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases. In April 2021, it was announced that approximately 150,000 mosquitoes would be released across six locations in Florida. Several state and federal agencies have been involved in the approval of this project. A multi-year research project to genetically modify Aedes aegypti, a mosquito species that is known to carry and transmit infectious diseases to humans, was slated to move from the lab to the fields of Texas and Florida in mid-2021. Under the project, thousands of A. aegypti were altered to make their reproduction more difficult, thus slowing and eventually preventing the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses like Zika, and dengue fever. But when the internet caught wind that Bill Gates may have been behind the project, posts circulated on social media that questioned the real motivation behind the project.

Scientists design new gene drive to stop the transmission of devastating diseases

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E. Henderson,  AZO Life Sciences,  2021-06-03 10:42:37.
CRISPR-based technologies offer enormous potential to benefit human health and safety, from disease eradication to fortified food supplies. As one example, CRISPR-based gene drives, which are engineered to spread specific traits through targeted populations, are being developed to stop the transmission of devastating diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. But many scientists and ethicists have raised concerns over the unchecked spread of gene drives. Once deployed in the wild, how can scientists prevent gene drives from uncontrollably spreading across populations like wildfire? Now, scientists at the University of California San Diego and their colleagues have developed a gene drive with a built-in genetic barrier that is designed to keep the drive under control. Led by molecular geneticist Omar Akbari's lab, the researchers engineered synthetic fly species that, upon release in sufficient numbers, act as gene drives that can spread locally and be reversed if desired.

Mouse plague control hopes raised with funding for genetic biocontrol research

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Anonymous,  From Press,  2021-06-03 10:36:25.
As communities and farmers continue to battle the mouse plague, a funding announcement for genetic biocontrol research could be a potential game changer for future plagues. The New South Wales government has today announced a $50 million mouse control package which includes $1.8 million dollars in funding for genetic control of mice populations. The project aims to fast-track the delivery of next generation "gene drive" technology to control plagues of the future. Researchers have welcomed the announcement, including Australia's lead researcher Professor Paul Thomas from the University of Adelaide. He said the technology is only relatively new, having been developed to some extent for insects and malaria control, but has not yet been applied to mammals. "So effectively it just uses the natural mating processes to spread a gene though a population that will cause, [and] what we are trying to cause, female [mouse] infertility," he said. "We have modelled it already and that should cause the population to crash over time. "This boost of funding will enable us to move much faster on these projects."Another control approach will also be investigated, the "X-shredder" approach, which eliminates sperm carrying the X chromosome, producing more male than female offspring.

Genetically modified mosquitoes and Africa

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S. Bagcchi,  Sci Dev Net,  2021-06-02 20:30:12.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidance for the deployment of genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes to combat vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue. GM mosquitoes may carry a gene that kills female progeny and the technology can be used against the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. For malaria, genetic modification has focused on reducing the ability of the female Anopheles mosquito to carry the parasite that causes the disease. The WHO guidance, released this month, relates to research and development of GM mosquitoes as well as issues around effectiveness, safety, affordability and ethics. GDN awards advert finalised Presently, measures against mosquito vectors include the use of insecticides and elimination of the breeding spots of mosquito larva, said the guidance, developed in partnership with WHO collaborators such as the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases and the GeneConvene Global Collaborative.

ISAAA Webinar: What is Gene Drive?

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ISAAA,  ISAAA,  2021-06-02 20:19:58.
ISAAA, in partnership with the Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research and the Biotechnology Information Centers, will be conducting the Gene Drive Webinar Series. The first webinar titled What is Gene Drive? will be held on June 10, 2021, at 2 PM GMT+8 (7 AM London/4 PM Sydney) via Zoom. The potential uses and impacts of gene drive technologies are a topic of growing interest at the international and national levels in many countries. The Gene Drive Webinar Series aims to help promote a productive and balanced conversation on the benefits and risks of possible gene drive applications, providing factual and accurate information that can help place the discussion under the Convention on Biological Diversity in context.

Mutant mosquitoes carrying ‘death gene’ released as ‘bio-engineered’ insects terrify

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J. Caven,  Daily Star,  2021-06-02 20:16:02.
Mutant mosquitoes which carry a ‘death gene’ have been released into the skies in a bid to curb diseases from spreading to humans. Tens of thousands of genetically modified male insects will mate with female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which transmit illnesses, in Florida Keys, US. Although the males don’t bite, they carry a gene which passes on and kills female offspring in the early larval stages. The pilot project aims to wipe out a generation of potential disease-carriers. Scientists say usual methods to stop the spread of disease from mosquitoes are becoming less effective due to resistance. But critics have slammed the programme and say they are being used as “guinea pigs in a sci-fi experiment”, the Times reported.

‘Death gene’ in genetically modified male mosquitoes

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J. Goddard,  The Times,  2021-06-02 20:10:43.
Tens of thousands of bio-engineered mosquitoes have taken flight in the Florida Keys under a pilot project that aims to breed insects programmed with a “death switch”. Genetically modified males produced by Oxitec — a British-founded biotechnology company — have begun mating with local populations of invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, whose female progeny are programmed to die before they mature, wiping out a generation of potential disease-carriers. “Mosquito-borne disease is a very real issue and conventional controls are losing their effectiveness,” said Dr Nathan Rose, head of regulatory affairs at Oxitec in Milton Park, Oxfordshire.

Synthetic SPECIES developed for use as a confinable gene drive

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University of California - San Diego,  ScienceDaily,  2021-06-02 20:04:29.
CRISPR-based technologies offer enormous potential to benefit human health and safety, from disease eradication to fortified food supplies. As one example, CRISPR-based gene drives, which are engineered to spread specific traits through targeted populations, are being developed to stop the transmission of devastating diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. But many scientists and ethicists have raised concerns over the unchecked spread of gene drives. Once deployed in the wild, how can scientists prevent gene drives from uncontrollably spreading across populations like wildfire? Now, scientists at the University of California San Diego and their colleagues have developed a gene drive with a built-in genetic barrier that is designed to keep the drive under control. Led by molecular geneticist Omar Akbari's lab, the researchers engineered synthetic fly species that, upon release in sufficient numbers, act as gene drives that can spread locally and be reversed if desired.

‘Gene drive’ tech to control mice plagues

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AAP,  Countryman,  2021-06-02 16:11:50.
As western NSW deals with a devastating mouse plague the government is investing in breakthrough genetic biocontrol research that could transform pest management in Australia. Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said the NSW government would provide $1.8 million to the project to fast-track the delivery of next generation 'gene drive' technology to control future plagues. "The government has invested $50 million in a range of support measures, not only to mitigate the impacts of the mice currently crawling across so much of NSW, but also to create options to ensure we reduce the impact of future population spikes," he said on Thursday. Until now farmers have had to rely on baiting and trapping to control mouse infestations but the government was now "fast-tracking critical research to bring mouse control into the 21st century", he said. The three-year program of genetic biocontrol research will identify fast acting gene drives which are designed to spread an inherited characteristic through a population at higher-than-normal rates. Mr Marshall said it would also investigate the transferability of the technology to other pest species such as black rats, rabbits and feral cats using advanced computer modelling.

New CRISPR Tools Can Help Contain Mosquito Disease Transmission

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Anonymous,  labcompare,  2021-06-01 20:26:34.
Scientists have now developed several genetic editing tools that help pave the way to an eventual gene drive designed to stop Culex mosquitoes from spreading disease. As detailed in the journal Nature Communications, Xuechun Feng, Valentino Gantz and their colleagues at Harvard Medical School and National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories developed a Cas9/guide-RNA expression "toolkit" designed for Culex mosquitoes. Since such little attention in genetic engineering has been devoted to Culex mosquitoes, the researchers were required to develop their toolkit from scratch, starting with a careful examination of the Culex genome. While Culex mosquitoes are less problematic in the United States, they are much more of a health risk in Africa and Asia, where they transmit the worm causing filariasis, a disease that can lead to a chronic debilitating condition known as elephantiasis. The researchers also demonstrated that their tools could work in other insects.

African Experts Welcome WHO Guidance on Ethics, Standards, and Governance of Genetically Modified Mosquito Research

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E. Nakkazi,  Health Policy Watch,  2021-06-01 15:24:31.
Researchers engaged in mosquito gene drive technologies are optimistic that new World Health Organization (WHO) guidance on best research practices will ensure that their work is safe and ethical. Such guidance also helps research results advance from laboratories to be used in the field, the researchers told Health Policy Watch. Due to limiting regulatory frameworks, most African countries doing research on genetically modified mosquitoes have been accused of carrying out unethical research. Some confine their work to laboratories because regulations mostly focus on handling plant-based genetically modified organisms. The WHO recently released essential standards for the study and evaluation of genetically modified mosquitoes so use of this public health tool can be ethical, effective, and affordable. Malaria kills more than 400,000 people a year worldwide. “Genetically modified mosquitoes are one of a number of promising new tools that could help speed the pace of progress against malaria and other vector-borne diseases,” WHO Global Malaria Programme Director Dr Pedro Alonso said.

Genetically Altered Mosquitoes Target Deadly Dengue Fever and Zika

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R. L. Hotz,  Wall Street Journal,  2021-05-31 19:52:20.
Across the Florida Keys this week, newly hatched mosquitoes are swarming from damp flowerpots, waterlogged spare tires, trash cans and drainage ditches. In six neighborhoods, however, a change is buzzing in the air. Scientists have genetically modified thousands of these mosquitoes and, for the first time in the U.S., set them free to breed. These genetically engineered insects, known by their model number as OX5034, are a laboratory offshoot of the Aedes aegypti mosquito that transmits dengue, Zika and other infectious ills. After a decade of public debate and regulatory delays, these insects are being released by a U.K. biotechnology company called Oxitec. Using genetic-engineering techniques, the company altered the male mosquitoes to pass down a gene that makes females need a dash of the antibiotic tetracycline to survive. Without it, females that spread the disease die as larvae. Altered males, which don’t bite, seek out wild females to mate and spread the lethal trait to future generations. Gradually, more females die. The swarms dwindle and disappear, with no need for chemical insecticides.

Researchers report reference genome for maize B chromosome

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Chinese Academy of Sciences,  Phys Org,  2021-05-31 19:46:00.
Three groups recently reported a reference sequence for the supernumerary B chromosome in maize in a study published online in PNAS. Dr. James Birchler's group from University of Missouri, Dr. Jan Barto's group from Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Dr. Han Fangpu's group from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences worked collaboratively on the study. Supernumerary B chromosomes persist in thousands of plant and animal genomes despite being nonessential. They are maintained in populations by mechanisms of "drive" that make them inherited at higher than typical Mendelian rates. Key properties such as its origin, evolution, and the molecular mechanism for its accumulation in maize have remained unclear even though such chromosomes have been a potent tool for studying maize genetics.

WHO releases new guidance for deployment of genetically modified mosquitoes

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E. Henderson,  News Medical Life Sciences,  2021-05-28 19:13:57.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidance for the deployment of genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes to combat vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue. GM mosquitoes may carry a gene that kills female progeny and the technology can be used against the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. For malaria, genetic modification has focused on reducing the ability of the female Anopheles mosquito to carry the parasite that causes the disease. The WHO guidance, released this month, relates to research and development of GM mosquitoes as well as issues around effectiveness, safety, affordability and ethics. Presently, measures against mosquito vectors include the use of insecticides and elimination of the breeding spots of mosquito larva, said the guidance, developed in partnership with WHO collaborators such as the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases and the GeneConvene Global Collaborative.

Researchers Create New CRISPR Tools to Help Contain Mosquito Disease Transmission

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M. Aguilera,  UC San Diego News Center,  2021-05-28 15:43:14.
Much less genetic engineering has been devoted to Culex genus mosquitoes, which spread devastating afflictions stemming from West Nile virus—the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States—as well as other viruses such as the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and the pathogen causing avian malaria, a threat to Hawaiian birds.University of California San Diego scientists have now developed several genetic editing tools that help pave the way to an eventual gene drive designed to stop Culex mosquitoes from spreading disease. Gene drives are designed to spread modified genes, in this case those that disable the ability to transmit pathogens, throughout the targeted wild population.As detailed in the journal Nature Communications, Xuechun Feng, Valentino Gantz and their colleagues at Harvard Medical School and National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories developed a Cas9/guide-RNA expression “toolkit” designed for Culex mosquitoes. Since such little attention in genetic engineering has been devoted to Culex mosquitoes, the researchers were required to develop their toolkit from scratch, starting with a careful examination of the Culex genome.

New CRISPR tools help contain mosquito disease transmission: Genetics toolkit targets less researched Culex mosquitoes, which transmit West Nile virus and avian malaria.

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University of California - San Diego,  ScienceDaily,  2021-05-28 13:29:00.
Since the onset of the CRISPR genetic editing revolution, scientists have been working to leverage the technology in the development of gene drives that target pathogen-spreading mosquitoes such as Anopheles and Aedes species, which spread malaria, dengue and other life-threatening diseases. Much less genetic engineering has been devoted to Culex genus mosquitoes, which spread devastating afflictions stemming from West Nile virus -- the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States -- as well as other viruses such as the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and the pathogen causing avian malaria, a threat to Hawaiian birds. University of California San Diego scientists have now developed several genetic editing tools that help pave the way to an eventual gene drive designed to stop Culex mosquitoes from spreading disease. Gene drives are designed to spread modified genes, in this case those that disable the ability to transmit pathogens, throughout the targeted wild population.

Mosquitoes are deadly pests, genetically-modified mosquitoes could help stop disease

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T. Browne,  ClickOrlando,  2021-05-27 19:04:12.
Hearing the words “genetically modified mosquitoes” can sound like the plot for a science-fiction movie but Meredith Fenson, a native Floridian turned biological pest control specialist says, “mosquitoes are the world’s deadliest animal by far” and a study happening right now in the Florida Keys could help change the tide. Fenson works as the head of global public affairs for Oxitec and sat down with News 6 anchors Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida’s Fourth Estate podcast to talk about how genetically modified mosquitoes work, concerns surrounding their release and Oxitec’s plans to release more in the future. Aedes Aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, only makes up about 4% of the population in the Florida Keys but Fenson says they are responsible for virtually all the diseases spread from mosquitoes to humans. She says this includes Zika, dengue fever and Chikungunya.

Genetic engineering may help control disease-carrying mosquitoes

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Anonymous,  The Economist,  2021-05-26 18:56:02.
EVERY YEAR, hundreds of millions of people catch mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever. Hundreds of thousands die. Drug treatments are imperfect. And, despite decades of effort, vaccines have, for many of these diseases, proved tricky to perfect. Better, then, to stop those infections happening in the first place, by exterminating—or at least suppressing—the mosquitoes that carry the diseases. In a paper just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of researchers led by Craig Montell, of the University of California, Santa Barbara, describe how CRISPR-Cas9, a new and powerful genetic-engineering process, could help to do just that. Dr Montell and his colleagues used CRISPR to boost an existing control method called the sterile insect technique (SIT). This involves releasing lots of sterilised males into the wild. Females that mate with these males produce no offspring. Repeated releases can reduce populations dramatically. SIT has been used in North America to eliminate screwworm flies, an agricultural pest, and to suppress several species of crop-munching fruit flies.

Oxitec takes on growing cattle tick challenges

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Annonymous,  The Cattle Site,  2021-05-25 18:50:21.
Oxitec Ltd, the leading developer of biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock, announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a grant for a feasibility project to develop an Oxitec self-limiting solution for the disease-spreading cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus. As part of this grant, Oxitec will work with Clinglobal, one of the world’s largest science-based animal health service providers, incorporating Clinglobal’s deep and industry-leading expertise in animal vector control practices. As a species-specific approach to controlling pests, Oxitec’s Friendly technology platform offers a safe, environmentally friendly, and sustainable solution, proven to significantly reduce target pest populations to very low levels. A future Friendly cattle tick solution would reduce reliance on pesticides and offer cattle farmers a new way of protecting the health of their animals without the use of chemical pesticides.

Pest reduction with female killers and sterile males

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L. Mertz,  Good Fruit Grower,  2021-05-25 18:40:52.
New ways to fight spotted wing drosophila are in the works, thanks to new genetic engineering tools. These transgenic methods introduce new reproduction-hampering genes into male SWD, so that when they mate with females, the females either don’t have any young, or their female young die early in their development. The approach falls under the umbrella of sterile insect technique (SIT), which has traditionally been done with radiation to sterilize males that are then released to reduce pest reproduction. “SITs are thought of as green technologies, because they are species-specific, they have the advantage that the control agent is the insect itself, and they reduce the dependence on insecticides,” said Max Scott, a professor of entomology at North Carolina State University who is developing one of these approaches. He and his research group have incorporated a female-killing gene into male SWD. In a different approach, the San Diego company Agragene is advancing technology first developed by University of California, San Diego researchers. Here, the project makes use of an advanced gene-editing tool — called CRISPR — to add genes that both kill females and sterilize males. “We really do believe that our technology will bring a sea change to what’s going on out there,” said Gordon Alton, president and CEO of Agragene Inc. If all goes well, he anticipates growers will have access to the technology within two to three years

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