Gene Drive Technology in the News
Mice Plague Eastern Australia in Record Numbers
17751B. Nogrady, The Scientist, 2021-07-12 13:50:17.
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 across the dark road surface. The spots, they soon realized, were mice. Once they reached their house, the Levens saw a scene of rodent devastation. Mice had invaded their home in such numbers that it was unlivable. The creatures had gnawed their way into the pantry and ruined all the food they could get into. Their droppings and pungent urine were spread from one end of the dwelling to the other, across soft furnishings and bedding. The rodents had even eaten the insulation around the engine wiring in two tractors and ruined their harvested hay bales.
Part of ‘master plan’: Researchers receive grant to fund research on malaria
17748L. Huang, The Daily Californian, 2021-07-11 13:33:25.
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 “master plan” to eradicate malaria, according to associate professor John Marshall, the project’s principal investigator. Based on data from the World Health Organization, malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people a year. The lab has focused on malaria prevention ever since it opened its doors in 2015, publishing work about mosquito intervention and control mechanisms related to genetic mathematical modeling. “If you have a drug to control malaria or a mosquito net, then how that is implemented on a continental scale is more than a problem of having the intervention itself — you need to think about the numbers involved,” Marshall said. Marshall compared mosquitoes to humans in that they have similar genetic makeups. He said some mosquito genes can be altered to either prevent disease transmission to humans or reduce rates of mosquito reproduction. Marshall’s team plans to apply its Mosquito Gene Drive Explorer, which simulates releases of genetically modified mosquitoes into habitats, to aid fellow researchers funded by the Gates Foundation. With the system, researchers can identify the efficacy of systems for reducing cases of malaria in order to pinpoint which characteristics of gene constructs can be prioritized to most efficiently suppress the disease.
Africa Turning to Gene Drive Technology for Malaria Elimination
17669M. Hearty, Science Africa, 2021-07-09 20:02:22.
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 Addis Ababa. There are 3500 to 4000 mosquito species worldwide and 837 of the species are in Africa, with only 3 species transmitting malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Speaking during a virtual conference by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) , Dr Abdoulaye Diabate, Head of Medical Entomology and Parasitology at the Research Institute in health Sciences in Burkina Faso who presented on Gene Drive for Malaria Control and Elimination in Africa said that two options for genetic control of mosquito-borne infectious diseases identified were population suppression and population replacement. “Population suppression involves releasing of modified mosquitoes into the population, and this can cause transient or permanent suppression. With the population replacement method, modified mosquitoes released into the population can lead to the spread of a gene that blocks malaria transmission,” the Medical Entomologist stated.
A new tool in the global fight against malaria
17666S. Laux, Brighter World, 2021-07-08 19:56:20.
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 global efforts to eradicate mosquito-borne illnesses such as dengue fever, Zika virus and malaria. Released by the World Health Organization in late May, the guidelines describe best practices to ensure that the study of genetically modified mosquitoes is scientifically rigorous and meets essential standards of safety, effectiveness, accessibility and ethics. “The previous World Health Organization guidance for testing genetically modified mosquitoes was from 2014 – and since then, there have been multiple technological developments and considerable scientific progress,” explains Claudia Emerson, the director of IEPI and a professor of philosophy who, along with IEPI researchers Travis Ramsay and Aaron Roberts, developed the guidance’s chapter on ethical considerations. “Genetically modifying organisms isn’t new, at least not from an ethical or scientific perspective – but as the technology has developed over the years, especially with respect to mosquitoes, there has been a change in its perception and the receptivity to using it. It was important to update the guidance to reflect these changes.”
West African countries working together to develop framework to regulate genetically engineered mosquitos: Target Malaria
17663Anonymous, Global News, 2021-07-08 19:50:08.
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
17654Berkeley Public Health, Berkeley Public Health, 2021-07-08 19:33:19.
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 most devastating mosquito-borne disease, poses a major public health burden throughout much of the world. Novel genetics-based tools that can be shown to be safe and effective would be transformative in eliminating the disease and the suffering it causes. “Malaria continues to be exceptionally difficult to eliminate with currently-available tools,” said Marshall. “Insecticide-treated nets and antimalarial drugs have succeeded in reducing the African malaria burden by about a half, but their impact has stagnated in recent years and new tools are needed. There is now growing recognition that the most promising new tools for malaria elimination are vaccines and gene-edited mosquitoes.”
Fighting disease: How are genetically engineered mosquitoes regulated?
17652A. Julie, Global News, 2021-07-08 19:26:36.
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 of mosquitoes, scientists hope to prevent them from passing on pathogens to humans and, therefore, control the spread of vector-borne diseases. To some, it is an exciting opportunity that could open up new possibilities in the fight against endemic diseases. But the practice has also raised questions from some in the scientific and environmental communities about the impact on local ecosystems, and the ripple effects such modifications could have on the mosquito populations themselves.
Scientists develop new technology that gives greater control for managing malaria mosquitoes
17650Keele University, Phy Org, 2021-07-06 19:19:27.
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 developed gene drive technologies that proved highly effective in eliminating populations of mosquitoes in the laboratory, offering a powerful new strategy to prevent deadly vector-borne disease such as malaria. Gene drive elements inserted in the mosquito genome can rapidly spread genetic modifications, such as impairment of fertility, throughout the entire population target by biasing their genetic inheritance after mating with wild insects. The gene drive technologies show great potential for suppressing the mosquito species that transmit malaria with increased power compared to other methods, thanks to their capacity to self-spread through the population. However, this also makes it difficult to retain control of this technology once released. So to combat this, the researchers have now developed an innovative and highly effective technology that allows them to control and even reverse the effects of gene drives.
Gene Drive: The Technology and its Potentials for Biodiversity Conservatio
17611Z. Bugnosen, Science Speaks, 2021-07-01 14:43:19.
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 Information Centers, in partnership with the Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research, launched the four-part Gene Drive Webinar Series. Gene drive experts were invited to talk about the technology and how it can help conserve biodiversity during the first two sessions of the series.
Could editing the genomes of bats prevent future coronavirus pandemics? Two scientists think it’s worth a try
17602E. C. Hayden, STAT, 2021-07-01 14:21:06.
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 events, in which viruses jump from infected bats to humans — one suspected source of the coronavirus that causes Covid. Spillover events are thought to have sparked other coronavirus outbreaks as well, including SARS-1 in the early 2000s and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). This appears to be the first time that scientists have proposed using the still-nascent gene drive technology to stop outbreaks by rendering bats immune to coronaviruses, though other teams are investigating its use to stop mosquitoes and mice from spreading malaria and
The (Losing) Battle Against Mosquitoes In Texas
17599J. Clayton, Texas Public Radio, 2021-06-26 14:13:20.
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 here, Zach.
UC San Diego scientists develop the first CRISPR/Cas9-based gene drive in plants
17563M. Aguilera, UC San Diego News Center, 2021-06-25 14:55:55.
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 spread of vector-borne diseases such as malaria, researchers in Professor Yunde Zhao's lab, along with colleagues at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, demonstrated the successful design of a CRISPR-Cas9-based gene drive that cuts and copies genetic elements in Arabidopsis plants. Breaking from the traditional inheritance rules that dictate that offspring acquire genetic materials equally from each parent (Mendelian genetics), the new research uses CRISPR-Cas9 editing to transmit specific, targeted traits from a single parent in subsequent generations. Such genetic engineering could be used in agriculture to help plants defend against diseases to grow more productive crops. The technology also could help fortify plants against the impacts of climate change such as increased drought conditions in a warming world.
Using gene drives to control malaria
17594A. Fell, Daily News, 2021-06-25 14:08:33.
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. Lanzaro’s lab is part of the UC Irvine Malaria Initiative. The laboratories of Anthony James at UC Irvine and Ethan Bier at UC San Diego engineered mosquitoes with synthetic genes that render them incapable of transmitting the malaria parasite and coupled these genes with a CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive to promote their spread into malaria vector populations in Africa. The idea is to ‘drive’ the new malaria-resistance genes into the mosquito population at a much higher rate than could occur naturally.
Why Flight Testing is an Important Step in Sterile Insect Technique
17547E. Ricciuti, Entomology Today, 2021-06-23 13:38:02.
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 counterparts and mate with enough females to reduce reproduction of a population. SIT has potential against the navel orangeworm (Amyelois transitella), a moth whose larvae decimates nut crops and, as its name implies, citrus, but scientists still are trying to figure out whether the idea will fly—literally. Researchers in California, where the moth’s larvae wreak havoc on almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, have conducted laboratory experimentsthat have revealed a potential glitch in dispersal ability that needs to be addressed before SIT can be effectively deployed against it. Their analysis is described in a report published this month in the Journal of Economic Entomology. The researchers, led by University of California-Riverside Ph.D. student Joshua Reger, examined the impact on the orangeworm of the same mass-rearing, sterilization, and transportation methods successfully used to combat the pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella), a cotton pest. According to the new study, what works on the bollworm is iffy for the orangeworm, because the modus operandi seems to negatively impact flight performance, the key to dispersal. The researchers concluded that “the data from the current study demonstrate a substantial reduction in flight capacity in navel orangeworm, particularly males reared under the current conditions intended for use in a SIT program.”
Manipulated Mosquitoes Cut Dengue by 77%
17513T. Hayes, Healthcare Packaging, 2021-06-22 14:34:21.
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. Thankfully, we have the World Mosquito Programme, a group that’s fighting the tropical mosquito disease head-on with genetically modified mosquitoes. The insects are infected with Wolbachia, a bacteria that inhibits viruses’ ability to live inside the insects, and also controls reproduction so that offspring are also infected with the bacteria. The result is a new population of insects that can’t transmit viruses like dengue, yellow fever and Zika. The study in Indonesia included 8,000 people, and concluded with protective efficacy of 77.1%.
Why Are Gates and Pentagon Releasing GMO Mosquitoes in Florida Keys?
17516F. W. Engdahl, LewRockwell.com, 2021-06-21 14:40:32.
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 Aegypti makes up only about 4% of the mosquito population in the Keys. The release is bitterly opposed by residents and environmental groups who demanded a referendum in last year’s election ballot, but which the Mosquito Control Board refused, curiously. Oxitec and the Board claim the release is to kill off the presence of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito which is believed to carry dengue fever, Zika and other diseases. The project, which sounds positive in the press statements, is alarming in many respects. First, the refusal to allow a citizen vote on the controversial GMO release. Second, there exists no cost-benefit analysis of the risks versus benefits of releasing millions of mosquitoes whose genetic traits are mutating in often unpredictable ways. Is it worth the risk that an ever more robust variety of mosquito will mutate from the project? No one can say. Traditional mosquito control techniques have worked well until now.
Dengue fever: Upstaged but not outmatched by COVID-19
17490C. E. Baclig, INQUIRER.NET, 2021-06-17 15:17:30.
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 bacteria, called Wolbachia. On its website, WMP said its scientists had discovered that Aedis aegypti mosquitoes carry Wolbachia, a bacteria which competes with viruses like dengue, zika, chikungunya, and the virus that causes yellow fever. Wolbachia, WMP said, was found to make it difficult for viruses to reproduce inside mosquitoes. Mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia, WPS said, “are much less likely to spread viruses from person to person.” Wolbachia is found in 60 percent of insects but is not normally carried by Aedis aegypti mosquitoes. So scientists injected the bacteria into mosquito eggs. Once these hatches and send off grown mosquitoes, they are released to breed with local mosquito populations.
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes; ‘Truth Like Oil’ Novel
17487Here and Now, WBUR, 2021-06-16 15:10:42.
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
17450M. McMillan, Tentenfield Star, 2021-06-15 17:20:08.
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 Australia. But a $1.8 million investment from the NSW government might soon give us a new weapon in the war. The government is investing in research into the use of gene drives, or "selfish DNA" - a genetic tool that can help us to control pests. How? Well, to understand gene drives we first need to understand the normal way in which genes are inherited. Mice, like humans, have two copies of each gene, one inherited from their mother and one from their father. We call these copies alleles, and they can be exactly the same or slightly different from each other. Normally, there is a 50/50 chance as to which allele will be passed on to any offspring. If one allele carries some sort of mutation, there is a 50 per cent chance that it will be passed on.
Dengue Infections Can Be Sharply Reduced With Wolbachia Bacteria
17453J. Stone, Medscape, 2021-06-14 17:25:12.
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 Wolbachia to Eliminate Dengue") study was conducted in Yogyakarta, Indonesia and led by professors Adi Utarini, MD, PhD, of Gadjah Mada University and Cameron Simmons, PhD, the World Mosquito Program's Oceana director, in partnership with the Tahija Foundation and Monash University.
Making mosquitoes to fight mosquitoes to prevent dengue
17484A. George, Times of India, 2021-06-14 15:04:01.
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
17303Admin, Science World, 2021-06-11 11:14:27.
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 previously released its modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Panama, and Malaysia, and the company reported that local A. aegypti populations fell by at least 90 percent in those locations, Live Science previously reported. A. aegypti can carry diseases such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever, and releasing modified mosquitoes offers a way to control the population without using pesticides. Oxitec's modified mosquitoes, all male, have been engineered to carry a lethal gene; when the modified pests mate with wild female mosquitoes, the lethal gene gets passed on to their offspring.
Wolbachia-Infected Mosquitoes Stymie Dengue’s Spread: Study
S. Williams, The Scientist, 2021-06-10 14:57:32.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 on Wolbachia as a potential public health tool for combating dengue dates back more than a decade, this is the first randomized trial of the strategy. “That provides the gold standard of evidence that Wolbachia is a highly effective intervention against dengue,” Oliver Brady, a dengue expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who was not involved in the study, tells The Atlantic. “It has the potential to revolutionize mosquito control.” Wolbachia is present in numerous arthropod species, where it manipulates reproduction in its hosts to ensure it becomes widespread in the population. Lab experiments indicated that once in mosquitos, Wolbachia competes for resources with the virus that causes dengue, preventing the virus from taking hold in the host. (This principle also holds with other viruses, such as Zika.)
Dengue Fever Cut Down by 77% With Groundbreaking Bacteria-Armed Mosquitoes
17322M. Davis, The Science Times, 2021-06-10 12:02:22.
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 this could be a solution to dengue fever that is prevalent around the world. Dr. Katie Anders, one of the researchers, described the trial of using Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in Indonesia as a "naturally miraculous" solution. Wolbachia is a virus-fighting bacteria that has been approved since 2017 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in the United States. Other interventions, like genetically modified mosquitoes, are also used to combat dengue fever and other diseases caused by mosquitoes. According to BBC News, Wolbachia does not harm the mosquito, but it will only be stored in the same parts of the mosquito's body where the dengue virus is kept. It competes for the resources, preventing the dengue virus to replicate, and therefore the mosquito is less likely to cause the infection when it bites. Moreover, Wolbachia bacteria can also manipulate and alter the fertility of their hosts. They make sure that they are passed on to the next generation of mosquitoes, which means they are established and should stick around for a long time to continue their protective abilities against dengue fever.
Mosquito ‘bacteria hack’ nearly eliminates dengue fever and could save millions of lives
17316A. Wilkins, METRO, 2021-06-10 11:50:12.
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 the zones where the modified mosquitoes had been released, cases of dengue fell by 77% and hospitalisations dropped by 86%. The results of the study, carried out by the World Mosquito Programme (WMP), were ‘better than we could have hoped for’, according to researcher Dr. Katie Anders. Cases of dengue fever, a virus that can cause muscle and bone pain, and death, have risen rapidly in the past decades – there are an estimated 400 million cases a year. The Wolbachia bacteria used in the trial were chosen because it hides in the same parts of a mosquito’s body that dengue virus hides in. A bacteria that is benign to humans, the Wolbachia then competes for resources with the dengue virus, which makes it less likely for the mosquito to cause a dengue infection when it bites a human.
‘Miraculous’ mosquito hack cuts dengue by 77%
17311J. Gallagher, BBC, 2021-06-10 11:38:57.
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, Indonesia, and is being expanded in the hope of eradicating the virus. The World Mosquito Programme team says it could be a solution to a virus that has gone around the world. Few people had heard of dengue 50 years ago, but it has been a relentless slow-burning pandemic and cases have increased dramatically. In 1970, only nine countries had faced severe dengue outbreaks, now there are up to 400 million infections a year. Dengue is commonly known as "break-bone fever" because it causes severe pain in muscles and bones and explosive outbreaks can overwhelm hospitals.
Modified mosquitoes reduce dengue cases by 77% in Indonesia experiment
17309M. Fox, CNN, 2021-06-10 11:32:59.
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 reduced by 77% in areas where they were introduced, the researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. The mosquitoes are infected with bacteria called Wolbachia, which not only interfere with the ability of viruses to live in the bodies of the insects, but which also control reproduction so that the mosquitoes only have Wolbachia-infected offspring. The result is a growing population of insects that don't pass on viruses such as dengue, yellow fever and Zika. The study involved more than 8,000 people, about half of whom lived in areas where the modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes had been living and breeding.
A Pivotal Mosquito Experiment Could Not Have Gone Better
17294E. Yong, The Atlantic, 2021-06-10 10:50:58.
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 parts of Yogyakarta as part of a randomized controlled trial. The results, which were unveiled last year and have now been published, showed that Wolbachia rapidly spread among the local mosquitoes, and reduced the incidence of dengue by 77 percent. “That provides the gold standard of evidence that Wolbachia is a highly effective intervention against dengue,” says Oliver Brady, a dengue expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who was not involved in the study. “It has the potential to revolutionize mosquito control.” The trial’s results were so encouraging that the researchers have since released Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes over all of central Yogyakarta—a 32-square-kilometer zone that’s home to more than 400,000 people. They’re now expanding into the densest surrounding provinces, aiming to protect 4 million people by the end of 2022. If they succeed, they should be able to prevent more than 10,000 dengue infections every year, Katherine Anders of the WMP told me. And the team is optimistic enough that it’s daring to think about an even grander goal: eliminating dengue from the city altogether.
How AI and mosquito sex parties can save the world
17660D. Takahashi, Ventura Beat, 2021-06-09 19:43:52.
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 and democratize what was otherwise a very costly and localized abatement effort. We’ll get to the sex parties in a bit. Diptera.ai is using computer vision and eco-friendly technology to make it easier to control mosquito populations using the sterile insect technique, which sends sterilized male mosquitoes to mate with female mosquitoes, said Diptera.ai CEO Vic Levitin, in an interview with VentureBeat. “We think we can disrupt the $100 billion pest control market,” Levitin said, noting that many other pest control methods are toxic to both humans and the environment.
Mosquitoes armed with virus-fighting bacteria sharply curb dengue infections, hospitalizations
17319K. Servick, Science, 2021-06-09 11:55:26.
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 the disease-fighting mosquitoes were released. The team expects the World Health Organization (WHO) to formally recommend the approach for broader use. The findings are a “breakthrough” that brings the approach “much closer to … being an official strategy to control dengue,” says Ewa Chrostek, an infection biologist at the University of Liverpool who was not involved with the work. WHO estimates there are 100 million to 400 million infections per year with dengue, which can cause high fever and severe joint pain. The bacterium Wolbachia pipientis naturally inhabits many insects, though not Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the main transmitter of dengue virus. In A. aegypti cells, the bacterium can block viruses, including dengue, from replicating, making the insects less likely to spread disease when they bite humans. That has made the microbe a promising strategy for fighting dengue. In tropical regions, where mosquito-borne viruses are common, other strategies such as insecticides have failed to fully control the disease.
Study demonstrates ‘exciting potential’ of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes to control dengue
17313G. Gallagher, Healio, 2021-06-09 11:43:08.
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 pipientis called wMel that makes Aedes aegypti mosquitoes less susceptible to dengue virus infection. Wolbachia pipientis occurs naturally in many insects but not A. aegypti, the primary vector of dengue, according to Adi Utarini, PhD, MPH, MSc, and colleagues from the nonprofit World Mosquito Program, which has been releasing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in the wild since 2011. A study in Indonesia demonstrated the potential of a natural intervention to significantly reduce the incidence of dengue, the world’s most prevalent mosquito-borne disease. “Wolbachia facilitates its own population introgression by manipulating reproductive outcomes between wild-type and Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes: the only viable mating outcomes are those in which the progeny are infected with Wolbachia,” they wrote in the new report, which was published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.
‘Nigeria has capacity for safe application of modern biotechnology’
17298M. Adewale, The Guardian, 2021-06-09 11:00:41.
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 two-day retreat on agricultural biotechnology for media practitioners and extension workers yesterday in Kano, explained that Nigeria possessed the institutional capacity and policy framework to ensure the application of modern technology, especially on agricultural production with the potential to accelerate food security and reduce import dependency. He stressed that the establishment of the NBDA, which necessitated the development of national policy on biotechnology in 2001 and the enactment of the agency, mandated to ensure the safety of modern biotechnology products, has positioned the country with the knowledge to deploy Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) products. Ebegba stressed that part of the core responsibility of NBDA was to ensure the regulation of biotechnology and the safety of GMO products for human health and the environment.
European Parliament calls for ban on gene drive technology
17296Save Our Seeds, Save Our Seeds, 2021-06-09 10:56:17.
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, Parliamentarians demand that „no releases of genetically engineered gene drive organisms should be allowed, including for nature conservation purposes, in line with the precautionary principle.“ Mareike Imken, coordinator of the European Stop Gene Drive Campaign welcomes this decision and comments: „With its position today, the European Parliament recognizes that this technology raises a series of scientific, regulatory, societal and ethical questions and concerns. As its use could severely harm biodiversity, the European Parliament calls to postpone any environmental releases until these questions have been addressed and settled. This is an important message that should feed into the ongoing discussions about global regulations at the next meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in September in Marseille and those of the Convention on Biological Diversity in October in Kunming, China.“ 27 civil society and science organisations from across the EU had sent a letter to Parliamentarians in support of the amendment ahead of the vote. It „provides reasonable suggestions on how to implement the European Parliament’s previous position in its resolution on the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (2019/2824(RSP)“. In that previous position, adopted in January 2020, the European Parliament had called “on the Commission and the Member States to call for a global moratorium at the COP15 on releases of gene drive organisms into nature, including field trials, in order to prevent these new technologies from being released prematurely and to uphold the precautionary principle, which is enshrined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union as well as the CBD“.
Living With the Limits of Our New Clerisy’s Knowledge
17306R. Fernandez, PJ Media, 2021-06-08 11:22:01.
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 infallible but to save ourselves from the tide of uncertainty that seems to have engulfed our once seemingly confident global world. Unfortunately, the new clergy seem too fallible to take on trust. They flip-flop on expert advice and one scientist denounces the other on YouTube. Once things seemed more cut and dried. Once we were at the End of History. Science could predict the future more or less and the public hoped with increasing accuracy. Ever since the 17th century, the expectation was that the scientific revolution would supply the answers. As the frontier moved from the simple, computable problems of the early 20th century to complex systems — of which biotechnology, artificial intelligence, social networks, and eco-engineering are prime examples — they began to involve the management of uncertainty because it was difficult to control all the variables involved. The care with which some scientists have approached the subject of gene drives, a biological technology as powerful as “gain of function,” illustrates the challenges of dealing with uncertainties.
Victory: NSW Government Invests in Humane Mice Control!
17224PETA Australia, PETA Australia, 2021-06-05 16:21:19.
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 drive’ technology to control future plagues”. The money will fund a three-year programme of genetic biocontrol research, led by the University of Adelaide, CSIRO, and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, to identify fast-acting gene drives designed to spread an inherited characteristic through a population. The research will test two strategies for population control, including an approach which eliminates sperm carrying the X chromosome, producing more male than female offspring, and a second approach of making female mice infertile. PETA has been talking about immunocontraception methods of controlling invasive animal populations for years, so we’re pleased to see the government is finally using science to tackle this problem in a more ethical and eco-friendly manner. Had it acted sooner, millions of small animals, including non-target species, would have been spared slow and agonising deaths. Last month, the New South Wales government announced it would use a new, strong poison and spruiked it as “napalm” for mice. Leading rodent experts questioned the plan, warning that the poison’s use came with a high risk of killing native and domestic animals as well. Dr Peter Brown, leader of the rodent management research team at CSIRO, told The Guardian, “The anti-coagulants can accumulate up through the food chain, and so birds of prey or other animals can be feeding on dead mice and they could potentially get a lethal dose themselves through secondary poisoning.”
Gene tech to prevent crossbreeding could safely harness the power of gene drives
17212I. l. Guillou, The Science Advisory Board, 2021-06-04 15:52:06.
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 against the spread of diseases like malaria. The advent of the genetic age offers the tantalizing prospect of being able to genetically alter animals, such as pests and disease vectors, to reduce the harm they cause to society. However, any technology with the ability to make a difference on a significant scale would also have the potential to cause serious damage if it went out of control. Gene drives are one such technology. These genetic modifications are designed to spread through a population quickly and rely on the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system to make a duplicate copy of the gene drive on the partner chromosome. This means that all offspring inherit the gene, compared to only 50% through normal genetic inheritance. However, there are concerns about the effect of releasing such gene drives into the wild. Unintended consequences, potentially due to mutations or ecological shifts, could be irreversible. This has led geneticists to search for new versions of gene drives that can prevent unrestricted spread by stopping engineered animals from crossbreeding with the wild population. Approaches previously developed have severe limitations, such as not working in multicellular organisms, causing high fitness costs, or working incompletely.
New biocontrol research to help prevent mice plagues
17206Anonymous, The National Tribune, 2021-06-04 15:41:51.
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 acting gene drives, which are designed to spread an inherited characteristic for population control through mice populations at higher-than-normal rates. This would effectively enable scientists to interrupt the breeding cycle and keep mice populations at manageable levels. The NSW Government will provide $1.8 million towards the project to fast-track the delivery of the ‘gene drive technology’ as part of a range of measures not only to mitigate the impacts of the mice currently across NSW, but also to create options to reduce the impact of future population spikes.
Gene drive could be a game changer for future mouse control.
17214Anonymous, Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, 2021-06-03 16:02:28.
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 drives, scientists aim to interrupt the breeding cycle of mice and potentially other ferals, which could keep populations at manageable levels. The $1.8 million research program will be led by Professor Paul Thomas at our partner organisation the University of Adelaide in collaboration with our member organisation CSIRO. The NSW Minister for Agriculture, Adam Marshall said cutting edge solutions meant future mouse plagues could be extinguished before they begin. This specific research funding will test two strategies for population control and recommend at least one for future suppression of mice. The ‘X-shredder’ approach eliminates sperm carrying the X chromosome, producing more male than female offspring. The ‘female infertility’ approach spreads a genetic modification that would eventually make females infertile. We look forward to seeing the outcomes of this world-class innovative research being led by Aussie scientists.
“Gene Drive” Technology To Control Mouse Invasions | Liverpool City Champion
17208T. Carrington, Liverpool IL, 2021-06-03 15:45:57.
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 project to accelerate delivery of next-generation ‘gene drive’ technology to control future plagues. “The government has invested $ 50 million in a range of supportive measures, not only to mitigate the impacts of the mice that are currently crawling across much of New South Wales, but also to create options to reduce l ‘impact of future population peaks, “he said. Thursday. Until now, farmers had to rely on baiting and trapping to control mouse infestations, but the government is now “accelerating critical research to bring mouse control into the 21st century,” he said. declared. The three-year genetic biocontrol research program will identify fast-acting gene drives that are designed to spread an inherited trait through a population at above normal rates.
Australia plots biological warfare to eradicate rampaging ‘mouse plague’
17204J. Smyth, Financial Times, 2021-06-03 15:37:11.
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 the furry critters could cost them A$1bn ($765m) in lost crops and poison baits this season. Residents in rural towns have been fighting a six-month battle against the army of wild house mice, which has gnawed through wiring on home appliances, polluted water supplies and even bitten patients in hospital beds. Scientists said the plague was bolstered by favourable weather conditions after years of drought and the nation’s second biggest grain harvest on record. State authorities have proposed “napalming” the mice by allowing farmers to use the poison bromadiolone against the mice, which has ignited a furious debate over its environmental impact.
Bill Gates Releasing Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Florida? Here’s the Whole Story
17558M. 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
17292E. 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
17289Anonymous, 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
17194S. 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?
17188ISAAA, 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
17185J. 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
17181J. 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
17179University 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
17219AAP, 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
17191Anonymous, 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.
