Gene Drive Technology in the News
Mice Plague Eastern Australia in Record Numbers
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Invasive species, Rodents, X chromosomeB. Nogrady, The Scientist, 2021.
Just before Christmas last year, Julie Leven and her husband Des took their camper up to visit their son in northern New South Wales, Australia. Driving back at night to their home in Gilgandra, around 430 kilometers northwest of Sydney, they saw masses of white spots moving ...
Part of ‘master plan’: Researchers receive grant to fund research on malaria
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive synthetic, ModelingL. Huang, The Daily Californian, 2021.
Early this month, The Marshall Lab at UC Berkeley received an $800,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to fund its research on genetics-based malaria mosquito control. The Marshall Lab is one of many teams playing a part in the Gates Foundation’s decades-long ...
Africa Turning to Gene Drive Technology for Malaria Elimination
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safetyM. Hearty, Science Africa, 2021.
With Africa accounting for nine out of ten malaria cases globally, the continent is turning to gene drive technology to control the disease. This is according to a decision made by African leaders at the 29th Summit of Heads of States and Governments of the African Union held in ...
A new tool in the global fight against malaria
Tags: Anopheles, Ethics, Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified mosquitoes, MalariaS. Laux, Brighter World, 2021.
McMaster researchers with the Institute on Ethics & Policy for Innovation (IEPI) have played a key role in developing updated international guidelines that will inform research and development on genetically modified mosquitoes – an initiative that could significantly affect ...
West African countries working together to develop framework to regulate genetically engineered mosquitos: Target Malaria
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Risk assessment, Target malariaAnonymous, Global News, 2021.
Abdoulaye Diabaté, principal investigator for Target Malaria, says West African countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Benin are working with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) to develop a pan-West African framework to regulate gene drive mosquitos.
Marshall Lab receives Gates grant for genetics-based malaria mosquito control
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive synthetic, ModelingBerkeley Public Health, Berkeley Public Health, 2021.
Berkeley Public Health Associate Professor John Marshall, PhD, and Assistant Project Scientist Héctor Sánchez, PhD, have received an $800,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support their lab’s work in genetics-based malaria mosquito control. Malaria, the ...
Fighting disease: How are genetically engineered mosquitoes regulated?
Tags: Aedes, Anopheles, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, MalariaA. Julie, Global News, 2021.
Mosquitoes have long been associated with the spread of diseases like malaria, dengue fever and the Zika virus. But scientists around the world have been exploring the possibility that mosquitoes could also be key to slowing the spread of disease. By genetically altering the DNA ...
Scientists develop new technology that gives greater control for managing malaria mosquitoes
Tags: Anopheles, CRISPR, Gene drive synthetic, MosquitoesKeele University, Phy Org, 2021.
Researchers including a Keele University scientist have engineered an innovative approach to disable highly powerful genetic devices that control harmful insect populations. Dr. Roberto Galizi from Keele's School of Life Sciences was part of a research team that previously ...
Gene Drive: The Technology and its Potentials for Biodiversity Conservatio
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive syntheticZ. Bugnosen, Science Speaks, 2021.
Gene drive is a gene editing tool that is rapidly advancing as scientists investigate further its potentials to address concerns related to agriculture, the environment, and even human health. To help the public understand it better, ISAAA and its network of Biotechnology ...
Could editing the genomes of bats prevent future coronavirus pandemics? Two scientists think it’s worth a try
Tags: Arbovirus, Gene drive syntheticE. C. Hayden, STAT, 2021.
Amid the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, two researchers are proposing a drastic way to stop future pandemics: using a technology called a gene drive to rewrite the DNA of bats to prevent them from becoming infected with coronaviruses. The scientists aim to block spillover ...
The (Losing) Battle Against Mosquitoes In Texas
Tags: Arbovirus, Dengue, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Malaria, MosquitoesJ. Clayton, Texas Public Radio, 2021.
Jerry Clayton: Mosquitoes are a fact of life in Texas, and the battle against the pesky biting insects is never ending. But there are some new weapons on the horizon. Zach Adleman is an associate professor of entomology at Texas A&M University. He joins us today. Thanks for being ...
UC San Diego scientists develop the first CRISPR/Cas9-based gene drive in plants
Tags: Agriculture, CRISPR, Gene drive syntheticM. Aguilera, UC San Diego News Center, 2021.
With a goal of breeding resilient crops that are better able to withstand drought and disease, University of California San Diego scientists have developed the first CRISPR-Cas9-based gene drive in plants. While gene drive technology has been developed in insects to help stop the ...
Using gene drives to control malaria
Tags: Anopheles, CRISPR, Gene drive synthetic, Population modification/replacementA. Fell, Daily News, 2021.
A group of UC scientists led by Greg Lanzaro, professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, recently completed an analysis of a strategy aimed at eliminating malaria from Africa using genetically engineered mosquitoes. ...
Why Flight Testing is an Important Step in Sterile Insect Technique
Tags: Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. Ricciuti, Entomology Today, 2021.
Releasing hordes of sterilized male insects for unfruitful mating with females—a process known as the sterile insect technique (SIT)—is a proven process for combating many species of pests. Its success depends on sterile males dispersing widely enough to outcompete their wild ...
Manipulated Mosquitoes Cut Dengue by 77%
Tags: Aedes, Asia, Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Population modification/replacement, WolbachiaT. Hayes, Healthcare Packaging, 2021.
Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease, wasn’t that common 50 years ago. In fact, only nine countries had severe outbreaks. But since then, it’s been on a steady incline to the point that there are now 400 million infections a year that contribute to 22,000 deaths. ...
Why Are Gates and Pentagon Releasing GMO Mosquitoes in Florida Keys?
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)F. W. Engdahl, LewRockwell.com, 2021.
On April 30 the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District and the Oxitec biotechnology company announced they will begin release of what will ultimately be some 750 million genetically manipulated or gene-edited Aedes Aegypti mosquitos using CRSPR gene editing technology. The Aedes ...
Dengue fever: Upstaged but not outmatched by COVID-19
Tags: Aedes, Asia, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, WolbachiaC. E. Baclig, INQUIRER.NET, 2021.
Science has made gains in the war on dengue and other diseases that mosquitoes carry, like malaria.One of these is the World Mosquito Program (WMP), a non-profit initiative that aims to protect the global community from mosquito-borne viral diseases, by deploying a natural ...
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes; ‘Truth Like Oil’ Novel
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Here and Now, WBUR, 2021.
Florida Keys officials are working on a unique experiment: hatching thousands of genetically modified mosquitos and releasing them. Andrea Leal of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District explains.
Selfish DNA: how new gene technology could stop the advance of mice
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Oceania, Rodents, X chromosomeM. McMillan, Tentenfield Star, 2021.
It used to be that seeing a mouse in the house was a rare occurrence. Now, it's rarely a day that goes by where we aren't seeing or hearing the little vermin. Current methods of baiting and trapping are struggling to control the plague of mice spreading across regional ...
Dengue Infections Can Be Sharply Reduced With Wolbachia Bacteria
Tags: Aedes, Asia, Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Population modification/replacement, WolbachiaJ. Stone, Medscape, 2021.
A modestly titled new study released in the New England Journal of Medicine belies the extraordinary 77% protective efficacy reported for preventing dengue infections with Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. A cluster-randomized clinical trial, the AWED ("Applying ...
Making mosquitoes to fight mosquitoes to prevent dengue
Tags: Aedes, Asia, Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Population modification/replacement, WolbachiaA. George, Times of India, 2021.
In 2017, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted that the national capitl needed to be made mosquito-free. The same year, his Kerala counterpart, Pinaray Vijayan, called a three-day state-wide cleanliness drive as hospitals filled with genue patients.
The First Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Have Just Been Released in The US
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Admin, Science World, 2021.
The biotech firm Oxitec has released its genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys, with the goal of suppressing wild, disease-carrying mosquito populations in the region. This is the first time genetically modified mosquitoes have been released in the US. Oxitec ...
Wolbachia-Infected Mosquitoes Stymie Dengue’s Spread: Study
S. Williams, The Scientist, 2021.Distributing mosquito eggs infected with Wolbachia bacteria led to a dramatic fall in dengue cases and hospitalizations in areas that got the intervention compared with those that didn’t, researchers report today (June 10) in The New England Journal of Medicine. While research ...
Dengue Fever Cut Down by 77% With Groundbreaking Bacteria-Armed Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Asia, Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Population modification/replacement, WolbachiaM. Davis, The Science Times, 2021.
Scientists found that dengue fever cases have decreased by 77% in a groundbreaking trial that took place in Yogyakarta City, Indonesia. They used Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes that reduced their ability to spread the dengue fever. The team at the World Mosquito Program said that ...
Mosquito ‘bacteria hack’ nearly eliminates dengue fever and could save millions of lives
Tags: Aedes, Asia, Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Population modification/replacement, WolbachiaA. Wilkins, METRO, 2021.
Mosquitoes infected with a ‘miraculous’ bacteria have been shown to reduce dengue fever cases by 77%, in a groundbreaking new study. Scientists released mosquitoes infected with ‘Wolbachia’ bacteria into the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta – but only in certain zones. In ...
‘Miraculous’ mosquito hack cuts dengue by 77%
Tags: Aedes, Asia, Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Population modification/replacement, WolbachiaJ. Gallagher, BBC, 2021.
Dengue fever cases have been cut by 77% in a "groundbreaking" trial that manipulates the mosquitoes that spread it, say scientists. They used mosquitoes infected with "miraculous" bacteria that reduce the insect's ability to spread dengue. The trial took place in Yogyakarta city, ...
Modified mosquitoes reduce dengue cases by 77% in Indonesia experiment
Tags: Aedes, Asia, Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Population modification/replacement, WolbachiaM. Fox, CNN, 2021.
An experiment to infect mosquitoes with bacteria that stop them from transmitting viruses appears to have helped reduced the spread of deadly dengue virus in Indonesia, researchers reported Wednesday. The modified mosquitoes thrived for three years, and cases of dengue were ...
A Pivotal Mosquito Experiment Could Not Have Gone Better
Tags: Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Dengue, Population modification/replacement, WolbachiaE. Yong, The Atlantic, 2021.
The World Mosquito Program (WMP), a nonprofit that pioneered this technique, had run small pilot studies in Australia that suggested it could work. Utarini, who co-leads WMP Yogyakarta, has now shown conclusively that it does. Her team released Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes in ...
How AI and mosquito sex parties can save the world
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrolD. Takahashi, Ventura Beat, 2021.
Jerusalem-based Diptera.ai has figured out a way to use AI to fight the growing threat of mosquitoes, which are spreading malaria and viruses like Zika, dengue, and yellow fever. While the method for fighting mosquitoes has been around for decades, AI can take it to a new level ...
Mosquitoes armed with virus-fighting bacteria sharply curb dengue infections, hospitalizations
Tags: Aedes, Asia, Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Population modification/replacement, WolbachiaK. Servick, Science, 2021.
A strategy for fighting dengue fever with bacteria-armed mosquitoes has passed its most rigorous test yet: a large, randomized, controlled trial. Researchers reported today dramatic reductions in rates of dengue infection and hospitalization in areas of an Indonesian city where ...
Study demonstrates ‘exciting potential’ of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes to control dengue
Tags: Aedes, Asia, Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Population modification/replacement, WolbachiaG. Gallagher, Healio, 2021.
The release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes led to a 77% reduction in the incidence of symptomatic dengue in an Indonesian city, according to researchers, who said the same approach could be used to fight other mosquito-borne diseases. The study tested a strain of Wolbachia ...
‘Nigeria has capacity for safe application of modern biotechnology’
Tags: Africa, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified organisms, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safetyM. Adewale, The Guardian, 2021.
Director-general of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Rufus Ebegba, has declared that Nigeria has the capacity to deploy safe biotechnology products for agricultural development and environmental safety. Ebegba, who gave the assurance at the opening of a ...
European Parliament calls for ban on gene drive technology
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safetySave Our Seeds, Save Our Seeds, 2021.
The European Parliament yesterday confirmedi it‘s precautionary stance towards the use of a new genetic engineering technology called gene drive. In its report on the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, adopted at the European Parliament’s plenary on 08.06.2021, ...
Living With the Limits of Our New Clerisy’s Knowledge
Tags: Ethics, Gene drive synthetic, Policy, RegulationR. Fernandez, PJ Media, 2021.
We are living in a strange time when reason has fallen short of human expectations and there is, once again, pressure to place our trust in faith. Leighton Woodhouse hit the nail on the head when he argued that we have appointed a New Clerisy to rule over us, not because they are ...
Victory: NSW Government Invests in Humane Mice Control!
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Invasive species, Rodents, X chromosomePETA Australia, PETA Australia, 2021.
Just two weeks after calling us “brainless” for suggesting that the state government invest in more ethical, eco-friendly methods of mice control – Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall announced a $1.8 million package to “fast-track the delivery of next generation ...
Gene tech to prevent crossbreeding could safely harness the power of gene drives
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Genetic incompatibilities, UnderdominanceI. l. Guillou, The Science Advisory Board, 2021.
A new gene engineering technology could allow scientists to harness the benefits of releasing genetically modified animals into the wild without the risk of uncontrolled spread. The new study, published in the journal Nature Communications on June 2, could help in the battle ...
New biocontrol research to help prevent mice plagues
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Invasive species, Oceania, Other mammals, Population suppression, RodentsAnonymous, The National Tribune, 2021.
Scientists at the University of Adelaide are partnering with the CSIRO and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions on breakthrough genetic biocontrol research to help control mice populations and prevent future mice plagues. The three-year research program will identify fast ...
Gene drive could be a game changer for future mouse control.
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Invasive species, Rodents, X chromosomeAnonymous, Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, 2021.
We are proud to announce we will be coordinating a brand new, three-year program of genetic biocontrol research, which will identify fast acting gene drives designed to spread an inherited characteristic through a population at higher-than-normal rates. Using targeted gene ...
“Gene Drive” Technology To Control Mouse Invasions | Liverpool City Champion
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Oceania, Rodents, X chromosomeT. Carrington, Liverpool IL, 2021.
As western New South Wales faces a devastating mouse plague, the government is investing in groundbreaking genetic biocontrol research that could transform pest management in Australia. Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said the NSW government will provide $ 1.8 million for the ...
Australia plots biological warfare to eradicate rampaging ‘mouse plague’
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Rodents, X chromosomeJ. Smyth, Financial Times, 2021.
Australia is home to some of the world’s most fearsome creatures. But none is more destructive than the humble house mouse, a plague of which is rampaging across vast swaths of farmland and terrorising countryfolk. Farmers in New South Wales, the worst affected state, warned ...
Bill Gates Releasing Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Florida? Here’s the Whole Story
Tags: Dengue, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. Dapcevich, Snopes, 2021.
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 ...
Scientists design new gene drive to stop the transmission of devastating diseases
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic incompatibilitiesE. Henderson, AZO Life Sciences, 2021.
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 ...
Mouse plague control hopes raised with funding for genetic biocontrol research
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Oceania, Rodents, X chromosomeAnonymous, From Press, 2021.
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 ...
Genetically modified mosquitoes and Africa
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified mosquitoes, MalariaS. Bagcchi, Sci Dev Net, 2021.
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 ...
ISAAA Webinar: What is Gene Drive?
Tags: Gene drive syntheticISAAA, ISAAA, 2021.
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) ...
Mutant mosquitoes carrying ‘death gene’ released as ‘bio-engineered’ insects terrify
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)J. Caven, Daily Star, 2021.
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 ...
‘Death gene’ in genetically modified male mosquitoes
Tags: Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Malaria, North America, OxitecJ. Goddard, The Times, 2021.
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 ...
Synthetic SPECIES developed for use as a confinable gene drive
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetic incompatibilitiesUniversity of California - San Diego, ScienceDaily, 2021.
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 ...
‘Gene drive’ tech to control mice plagues
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Rodents, X chromosomeAAP, Countryman, 2021.
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 ...
New CRISPR Tools Can Help Contain Mosquito Disease Transmission
Tags: CRISPR, Culex, Gene drive synthetic, Gene editing, Genetically modified mosquitoesAnonymous, labcompare, 2021.
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 ...
