Scholarly Literature

This is a database of scholarly literature that concentrates currently on natural and engineered selfish genetic elements (gene drives).  The latest are shown here.
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“Target species complex” concept: Strengthening environmental risk assessment of engineered gene drives

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J.B. Connolly, Y. Devos, D.C.M. Glandorf, and J. Romeis,  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.,  2026.
The recent opinion piece of Christophe Boëte critiqued the concept of the target species complex (TSC) in environmental risk assessment (ERA) of engineered gene drives (EGDs) (1). While constructive debate is essential, the piece misrepresents the purpose of TSC and conflates ...

CRISPR-Cas9 suppression gene drives for Nile tilapia control: prospects in sub-Saharan African freshwater ecosystems

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Bobo, E. D.,  All Life,  19. 2026.
CRISPR-based suppression gene drives represent a promising tool for managing invasive Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) populations in sub-Saharan Africa’s freshwater ecosystems. Introduced through aquaculture, Nile tilapia supports livelihoods but also causes severe ...

Editorial Overview – Insect Genomics (2026): enhancing public health, food security, and biodiversity through genetic biocontrol.

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Yoosook Lee, Omar S. Akbari,  Current Opinion in Insect Science,  2026.
Genetic biocontrol is a form of biological control in which genetic variants or genetically modified forms of the target species act to reduce or eliminate the target species. In entomology, target species include agricultural pests and vector species that transmit pathogens to ...

Regulatory Provisions for Post-Release Monitoring of Genetically Modified Organisms in Africa

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Julia Njagi, John Muriuki, Paul Mbugua, et al.,  Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology,  2026.
Genetically modified (GM) crops with improved traits such as resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and enhanced nutritional profiles have been commercially cultivated for over three decades. Despite extensive safety data and long-term cultivation experience, concerns continue ...

Modelling Aedes albopictus management, incorporating immigration and bi-directional Wolbachia interactions

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Ryan, M., Mendiolar, M., Pagendam, D. et al.,  J Pest Sci,  99. 2026.
Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are competent vectors for the spread of at least 24 different arboviruses, including dengue, Ross River, and Japanese encephalitis viruses. However, they remain less studied than their more urban cousins, Aedes aegypti. We model an incompatible ...

Mark–release–recapture study of irradiated male Aedes albopictus under stressful field conditions

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Qingdeng Feng, Ming Li, Jeremy Bouyer, et al.,  Pest Management Science,  2026.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) suppresses mosquito populations by releasing sterile males. Its success mainly depends on the performance of sterile males. Mark–Release–Recapture (MRR) experiments are used to evaluate male performance in the field, yet most previous ...

Advances in male sex separation for the support of mosquito control programs

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Duman-Scheel M,  Frontiers in Insect Science,  6. 2026.
Several mosquito control technologies, including the sterile insect technique (SIT), the incompatible insect technique (IIT), and a variety of genetic technologies are emerging as promising solutions for combatting insecticide resistance and the spread of vector-borne diseases. ...

Discovery of a Genetic Toxin-Antidote System in Vertebrates

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Duilio Mazzoni Zerbinato A Silva, Morgan Skinner, Takaya Totsuka, et al.,  bioRxiv,  2026.
Toxin-antidote (TA) systems are selfish genetic elements that bias their own inheritance by coupling a toxin that kills daughter cells or offspring with an antidote that specifically rescues those with the TA. TAs are a widespread phenomenon, observed in bacteria, fungi, plants, ...

Optimal spatial release strategies for confined gene drives and Wolbachia

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Ziye Wang, Jackson Champer,  bioRxiv,  2026.
Gene drives are genetic elements that can rapidly spread through populations, offering potential solutions for controlling disease vectors and pests. In some scenarios, it is necessary to utilize drives that can be confined to only target populations. The success of these ...

Wolbachia wMel and wAlbB strains differentially impact the vector competence of Aedes aegypti with a Brazilian genetic background for DENV-1 virus

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Martins, C.B., David, M.R., Couto-Lima, D. et al.,  Parasites Vectors,  2026.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis have been released as a sustainable strategy to mitigate arbovirus transmission. Among the strains successfully deployed, wMel and wAlbB have shown promising blocking effects against ...

Comparison of single-cell sequencing technologies for allele-specific expression analysis in rabbit spermatids

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Elena Smertina, Madi Rutherford, Brendan Hosking, et al.,  Genomics,  2026.
Gene drives are transmission distorters that can transmit specific alleles to >90% of the progeny, e.g., the naturally occurring t-haplotype in mice. For invasive pest species, there is interest in co-opting naturally occurring gene drives. It is unknown whether similar natural ...

Present and Future of Mosquito-Borne Disease Control in Europe with a Specific Focus on the Mediterranean

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Cholvi, M., Moretti, R., Osório, H. C., et al.,  Insects,  17. 2026.
Mosquito-borne diseases are an emerging public health challenge in Europe, driven by the spread of invasive mosquito species capable of sustaining outbreaks of tropical arboviral diseases. Rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, human-driven habitat changes, and ...

Potential benefits, opportunities, risks and challenges of population suppression gene drive mosquitoes for malaria control described in the scholarly literature: a rapid scoping review

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Fürer, C. L., Fischer, T. B., Suter, T., Winkler, M. S., and Knoblauch, A. M.,  Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal,  2026.
Gene drive mosquitoes represent a promising strategy to alter mosquito populations and reduce disease transmission. However, their use has generated considerable debate due to ecological, ethical, and societal concerns. This paper reviews risks, challenges, benefits, and ...

Locally Acquired Dengue in Townsville, Australia, 2024–2025: An Outbreak Report in a Non-Endemic Region with wMel Wolbachia-Infected Aedes aegypti

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Thompson, K., Lyons, S., Malone, K., Fryk, J., Pyke, A., & Murton, K.,  Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease,  11. 2026.
During the 2024/2025 wet season, Townsville had its first sustained autochthonous outbreak of dengue disease caused by dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2), the second locally transmitted outbreak of dengue since 2014 following the introduction of wMel strain Wolbachia-infected ...

Ecological analysis of mosquito larval communities in Burkina Faso to inform environmental monitoring of genetic control programs

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Toé, I., Kientega, M., Lingani, A.J. et al.,  Scientific Reports,  16. 2026.
In Burkina Faso, the development of the gene drive technology targeting Anopheles coluzzii raises important ecological questions about potential non-target effects. Understanding interactions in mosquitoes’ natural environments is crucial for developing effective post-release ...

Stochastic dynamics at the back of a gene drive eradication wave

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Léna Kläy, Léo Girardin, Florence Débarre, Vincent Calvez,  Theoretical Population Biology,  168:44-64. 2026.
Gene drive alleles bias their own inheritance to offspring. They can fix in a wild-type population in spite of a fitness cost, and even lead to the eradication of the target population if the fitness cost is high. However, this outcome may be prevented or delayed if areas ...

A distorter–restorer system drives quantitative reproductive isolation in rice

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Zhang, Y., Yang, Y., Shi, C. et al.,  Nature Plants,  2026.
Hybrid sterility and segregation distortion are the major forms of postzygotic reproductive isolation in rice, yet the molecular basis of their quantitative variation remains unclear. Here we identify S44, a natural distorter–restorer system in Oryza longistaminata/Asian ...

Spatial confinement of gene drives: Assessing risk of failure using global sensitivity analysis

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Cole D. Butler, Alun L. Lloyd,  bioRxiv,  2026.
Gene drives allow pest populations to be genetically modified to reduce their harm on agriculture and human health. The genetic modification, or payload, spreads within a target population at rates exceeding normal Mendelian inheritance. While gene drives have demonstrated ...

Upper bound on the mutational burden imposed by a CRISPR-Cas9 gene-drive element

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Michael S Overton, Sean E Guy, Xingsen Chen, et al.,  G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics,  2026.
Homing-based CRISPR-Cas9 gene drives (CCGDs) are powerful tools for genetic control of wild populations, with applications from disease eradication to species conservation. However, Cas9 alone and in a complex with guide RNA can cause double-stranded DNA breaks at off-target ...

Evaluation of local larval diets for mass rearing of Aedes aegypti to support sterile insect technique programs in Burkina Faso Get

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Bouraïma Vincent Séré, Simon P Sawadogo, Prisca S L Paré, et al.,  Journal of Medical Entomology,  63. 2026.
Aedes aegypti Linnaeus 1762 is the primary vector of several viruses that cause arboviral diseases. Control strategies, such as SIT, require large-scale mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) production, which depends critically on larval nutrition. However, the high cost and limited ...

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