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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CRISPR-GPT for agentic automation of gene-editing experiments
Tags: Bioinformatics, CRISPR, Genetic engineering, ModelingQu, Y., Huang, K., Yin, M. et al., Nat. Biomed. Eng, 2025.
Performing effective gene-editing experiments requires a deep understanding of both the CRISPR technology and the biological system involved. Meanwhile, despite their versatility and promise, large language models (LLMs) often lack domain-specific knowledge and struggle to ...
How population control of pests is modulated by density dependence: The perspective of genetic biocontrol
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Modeling, Population genetics/dynamicsCole D. Butler, Alun L. Lloyd, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 2025.
Managing pest species relies critically on mechanisms that regulate population dynamics, particularly those factors that change with population size. These density-dependent factors can help or hinder control efforts and are especially relevant considering recent advances in ...
Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP), and acceptance and willingness to pay (WTP) for mosquito-borne diseases control through sterile mosquito release in Bangkok, Thailand
Tags: Asia, Mosquitoes, Stakeholder engagement, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Vector controlKittayapong P, Ninphanomchai S, Jalichandra N, Sringernyuang L, Sherer P, Meemon N, PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 19. 2025.
A questionnaire survey was conducted in seven communities in Bangkok, Thailand to obtain baseline information on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) related to mosquito-borne diseases, i.e., dengue, chikungunya and Zika, including mosquito vectors and how to control them. ...
Implications of successive blood feeding on Wolbachia-mediated dengue virus inhibition in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Arbovirus, Dengue, WolbachiaJohnson, R.M., Breban, M.I., Nolan, B.L. et al., Nat Commun, 16. 2025.
Wolbachia is a promising strategy to inhibit dengue virus (DENV) transmission by Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. Laboratory studies assessing DENV inhibition by Wolbachia typically have not considered natural frequent mosquito blood feeding behavior. Here, we determine the impact of ...
Coproducing a Technology Readiness Level framework for non-persistent genetic biocontrol of aquatic invasive species
Tags: Fish, Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, RegulationJulie Badger, Rex Alirigia, Isabel Ameli, et al, Journal of Environmental Management, 391. 2025.
Developing and implementing novel pest control technologies requires coordination and communication between technology developers, funding agencies, federal and state regulators, and early technology adopters. Efficient communication is particularly important for first-in-class ...
Driving a protective allele of the mosquito FREP1 gene to combat malaria
Tags: Anopheles, Genetic engineering, Malaria, Population genetics/dynamics, ResistanceLi, Z., Dong, Y., You, L. et al., Nature, 2025.
Malaria remains a substantial global health challenge, causing approximately half a million deaths each year1. The mosquito fibrinogen-related protein 1 (FREP1) is required for malaria parasites to infect the midgut epithelium2. The naturally occurring FREP1Q allele has been ...
Decoding and engineering temperature-sensitive lethality in Ceratitis capitata for pest control
Tags: Pest management, Sterile insect technique (SIT)R.A. Aumann, G. Gouvi, M. Gregoriou,T. Rehling, G. Sollazzo, K. Bourtzis, and M.F. Schetelig, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122. 2025.
The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is a species-specific and environmentally friendly method for effectively controlling pest insect populations based on releasing reared, sterile insects into infested areas. Sex sorting in rearing facilities, enabling male-only releases, is ...
CRISPR technologies for the control and study of malaria-transmitting anopheline mosquitoes
Tags: Anopheles, CRISPR, Malaria, Vector controlSmidler, A.L., Akbari, O.S., Parasites Vectors, 18. 2025.
Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases on the planet, killing approximately 600,000 people annually, and is transmitted by the bite of an anopheline mosquito. Anophelines, and the diseases they transmit, have changed the course of history and the fate of nations, and their ...
Assessing the impact of the Wolbachia-based control of malaria
Tags: Malaria, Modeling, WolbachiaZhuolin Qu, Lauren M. Childs, Mathematical Biosciences, 2025.
Malaria remains a significant infectious disease globally, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Traditional control methods, such as disease surveillance and mosquito control, along with the development of malaria vaccines, have made strides in reducing the ...
Dynamical analysis of a nonlocal delays spatial malaria model with Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes release
Tags: Malaria, Modeling, WolbachiaLiping Wang, Runqi Liu, Yangyang Shi, Electronic Research Archive, 33:3177-3200. 2025.
Malaria continues to pose a considerable threat to global health. This study investigates the use of releasing Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes as a method to mitigate the spread of malaria. We have formulated a reaction-diffusion model with nonlocal delays that includes the ...
Experimental Test of Evolutionary Safety of a CRISPR-Cas9 Gene-Drive Element
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive, Risk and safetyMichael S Overton, Sean E Guy, Xingsen Chen, et al., bioRxiv, 2025.
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 gRNA can cause double-stranded DNA breaks at off-target sites, which could ...
Synthetically Assisted Conservation and the Application of Emerging Biological Technologies for the Protection of Biodiversity
Tags: Agriculture, Biodiversity/Conservation, Pest management, Synthetic biologyJedediah F. Brodie, Amanda Emmel, Blake Wiedenheft, et al., Conservation Letters, 8. 2025.
New tools of synthetic biology that enable precise manipulation of genomes, metabolic pathways, and ecosystems present new opportunities, risks, ethical dilemmas, and responsibilities for stewards of biodiversity. We argue that the risks and benefits of synthetic biology for use ...
Integrated vector management with the sterile insect technique component for the suppression of Aedes aegypti in an urban setting in Indonesia
Tags: Aedes, Asia, Population suppression, Vector controlSasmita HI, Neoh K-B, Ernawan B, Indarwatmi M, Nasution IA, Fitrianto N, et al., PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2025.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) involves subjecting laboratory-bred male mosquitoes to radiation, typically gamma rays, X-rays, or electrons, that render them sterile. These sterile male mosquitoes are then released into the field to mate with wild female mosquitoes. From that ...
Extended time to maturity in Anopheles coluzzii: Implications of late egg hatch for vector control and transgene fitness
Tags: Anopheles, Vector controlEmmanuel C. Ottih, Joe M. Roberts, Toby J. A. Bruce, Frédéric Tripet, Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 2025.
Maintaining fitness is an important consideration when mosquitoes are mass-reared for the deployment of genetic interventions that are designed to suppress populations because released mosquitoes need to compete with wild-type mosquitoes. Late-hatching mosquitoes are more ...
A male-drive female-sterile system for the self-limited control of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae
Tags: Anopheles, Genetically modified mosquitoes, MosquitoesAnna Strampelli, Katie Willis, Hannah Robyn Gulliford, et al., bioRxiv, 2025.
The use of insecticides and antimalarial drugs has been crucial in reducing the mortality and morbidity associated with malaria. However, since 2015, several challenges, including the development of resistance to these insecticides and treatments and changes in mosquito ...
The B Chromosome of Pseudococcus viburni: A Selfish Chromosome that Exploits Whole-Genome Meiotic Drive
Tags: Chromosomal drive, Genomics, Selfish genetic elementsIsabelle M Vea, Andrés G de la Filia, Kamil S Jaron, Scott E J Barlow, Marion Herbette, Andrew J Mongue, Ross Nelson, Francisco J Ruiz-Ruano, Laura Ross, Genome Biology and Evolution, 17. 2025.
Meiosis is generally a fair process: each chromosome has a 50% chance of being included into each gamete. However, meiosis can become aberrant with some chromosomes having a higher chance of making it into gametes than others. Yet, why and how such systems evolve remains unclear. ...
Changes in the frequency of facultative endosymbionts in insect populations: overview and applications
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetic incompatibilities, WolbachiaHoffmann, Ary A.; Cooper, Brandon S., Entomologia Generalis, 45:351-368. 2025.
Many insect endosymbionts are facultative from the host perspective, and their population frequencies across time and space will depend on their transmission fidelity and effects on host fitness. These effects and transmission rates in turn depend on the environmental and host ...
Mozzie: a computationally efficient simulator for the spatio-temporal modelling of mosquitoes
Tags: Anopheles, Modeling, Mosquitoes, Risk assessmentWilkins et al., Journal of Open Source Software, 10. 2025.
Mozzie enables simulation of the lifecycle and spatial spread of mosquitoes. Mozzie can be used to assess risks associated with disease-control strategies at local, regional or continental scales. Most particularly, strategies involving genetic alterations of mosquitoes to ...
Modelling and sensitivity analysis to control dengue through inclusion of genetically modified hybrid mosquitoes
Tags: Dengue, Modeling, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Wasim, T., Ismaeel, T., Naseem, A., Abdeljawad, T., & Alqudah, M. A., Mathematical and Computer Modelling of Dynamical Systems, 31. 2025.
Dengue fever, an ancient yet persistent global health threat transmitted by mosquitoes, remains difficult to control. Recent advances propose genetically modified hybrid mosquitoes as a novel intervention. This study focuses on two primary control strategies: the Sterile Insect ...
Influence of genetic factors of humans, mosquitoes and parasites, on the evolution of Plasmodium falciparum infections, malaria transmission and genetic control methods: a review of the literature
Tags: Genetics, Malaria, Resistance, Transmission distortionNikiema, S., Soulama, I., Ampofo, G.D. et al., BMC Medical Genomics, 18. 2025.
Despite significant progress, malaria remains a public health problem in many regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This situation is partly explained by the mosquito’s resistance to insecticides and the emergence of parasite resistance to antimalarial drugs. Indeed, in ...

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