Gene Drive Technology in the News
New study highlights success of gene drive technology with preventing mosquito-spread diseases
12401A. Meckler-Pacheco, The California Aggie, 2020-05-25 18:47:25.
For the past 30 years, researchers have studied the usage of gene drive technology to stop the spread of malaria. The idea is to create genetically engineered mosquitoes (GEM) that are either resistant to carrying the malaria parasite or that fail to reproduce, which would result in the reduction of the mosquito population. The gene drive technology relies on the use of the Cas-9 enzyme, which ensures the passing of the new modified genes onto offspring in the introduced population.
Hope rises as scientists eliminate malaria mosquitoes
11953A. Adeyemi, New Telegraph, 2020-05-14 17:57:14.
A team of researchers led by Imperial College London have spread a genetic modification that distorted the sex ratio through a population of caged Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes using ‘gene drive’ technology. According to the results of their study published yesterday in ‘Nature Biotechnology,’ the modification they initiated in the laboratory created more male offspring that was able to eliminate populations of malaria mosquitoes in the lab experiments.
Malaria mosquitoes eliminated in lab by creating all-male offsprings
11945Aishwarya, Inshorts, 2020-05-13 17:53:53.
Imperial College London-led team used 'gene drive' technology to spread genetic modification that distorted sex ratio through caged breed of malaria mosquitoes. This caused mosquitoes to produce more male offspring, eventually leading to no female birth. The study suggested such mosquitoes carrying a sex-distorter gene drive could help spread male bias within local malaria-carrying populations.
Researchers use “gene drive” technology to eliminate malaria mosquitoes in lab experiments
11619J. Ives, News Medical Life Sciences, 2020-05-13 16:15:18.
A team led by Imperial College London spread a genetic modification that distorts the sex ratio through a population of caged Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes using 'gene drive' technology.
Genetically-manipulated male mosquitoes could eliminate females
11617B. Coxworth, New Atlas, 2020-05-13 16:13:30.
Several years ago, we heard how scientists were looking at eradicating malaria-carrying mosquitoes by making the females infertile. Now they're going a step further, by eliminating the females altogether.
Researchers discover way to eliminate malaria carrying mosquitoes
11615S. Digon, International Business Times, 2020-05-13 16:12:04.
Researchers from the Imperial College London have come up with a genetic modification that will pave the way for the elimination of malaria mosquitoes. Scientists say that the alteration distorts the sex ratio of caged Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes using what they call a ‘gene drive’ technology.
Public opinion on gene editing
11613P. Thomas, The Ecologist, 2020-05-11 16:10:29.
What does the public think of genetic engineering in food and farming? Is there more acceptance, or less, these days? Have the issues changed over time, or is it just more of the same? How well informed do you believe you are? Beyond GM like you to participate in our survey to help us find out. While many people could be forgiven for thinking the issue of GMOs has gone away, the last few years have been a period of rapid developments in terms of new genetic engineering techniques.
The malaria mosquito is eliminated in the lab by creating a population of all males
11611NewsDesk, Instant, 2020-05-11 16:08:42.
A team led by Imperial College London disseminates genetic modification that distorts the sex ratio through the Anopheles gambiae mosquito population that is locked up using ‘gene drive’ technology.
Malaria mosquitoes eliminated in lab by creating all male populations
11609H. Dunning, Imperial College London, 2020-05-11 16:07:00.
A team led by Imperial College London spread a genetic modification that distorts the sex ratio through a population of caged Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes using ‘gene drive’ technology.
EPA Approves Genetically Modified Mosquito Trial For Florida Keys
11450Nancy Klingener, WLRN, 2020-05-07 18:22:34.
A plan to test genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys has received approval from the federal government.
The EU not ready for the release of Gene drive organisms into the environment.
11602Pensoft Publishers, ScienceDaily, 2020-05-07 15:59:25.
In their study, published in the open-access journal BioRisk, an international group of scientists led by Marion Dolezel from the Environment Agency Austria, discuss the potential risks and impacts on the environment.
Mutant mosquitoes one step closer to release in Florida, Texas this summer. Why?
11596K. Camero, The Charlotte Observer, 2020-05-07 15:45:03.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved an experimental use permit for the British biotech company Oxitec to test the modified mosquitoes in the U.S. for the first time, according to a statement from the agency
US EPA OKs release of GM mosquitoes
11600A. Beer, Agrow Agribusiness, 2020-05-06 15:57:35.
he US EPA has granted an experimental use permit to US synthetic biology company Intrexon’s UK subsidiary, Oxitec, to test its genetically modified OX5034 Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
Genetically Engineered Male Mosquitos to be Released in Florida and Other Parts of US to Curb Zika and Dengue Spread
11598Staff Reporter, The Science Times, 2020-05-06 15:47:02.
The Environmental Protection Agency has recently approved a new and controversial field test aimed at reducing their population.
Swarms of genetically modified mosquitoes could soon be descending on Florida
11594A. J. Dellinger, Mic, 2020-05-06 15:42:53.
Mosquitoes are a pain in the ass, so much so that the Environmental Protection Agency has approved a new and controversial field test aimed at curbing their population.
EPA Grants First Permit to Test Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
11436Adam Allington, Bloomberg Law, 2020-05-01 14:05:51.
British biotech company Oxitec Ltd was granted an experimental use permit to release a genetically engineered type of the mosquito species Aedes aegypti, which is a known vector of Zika virus and viruses that cause yellow fever and dengue fever, the Environmental Protection Agency office of Chemical Safety and Pollution announced.
EFSA discusses risk assessment of gene drives
11606C. Then, Testbiotech, 2020-04-30 16:03:36.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) carried out a public consultation on guidance for the risk assessment of so-called gene drives at the request of the EU Commission. At the same time, a new Testbiotech scientific paper was accepted after peer review. The paper shows that the EFSA concept is insufficient. To control the risks of gene drives, ‘cut-off criteria’ need to be defined to prevent the uncontrolled spread of genetically engineered organisms.
GeneTip project results published in full
11604C. Then, Testbiotech, 2020-04-27 16:01:59.
The GeneTip research project was a joint enterprise carried out from 2017 until 2019 by the Universities of Bremen and Vechta, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna and Testbiotech, Munich. The researchers focused on risks associated with the spread of newly designed genetically engineered organisms into the environment. In particular, the project examined plants and animals with a so-called gene drive. The results have now been published in full by the Springer Publishing Company in a book titled “Gene Drives at Tipping Points“ (open access).
Pest control with genetically modified insects
11238myScience, myScience, 2020-04-21 17:18:07.
To control pests without pesticides, genetically modified organisms of the same species could be used. The latter carry a gene that is passed on with above-average frequency via sexual reproduction. This gene possesses traits that directly weaken the pest, or prevent pathogens from being transmitted. But how can the environmental impact of such gene-drive elements be recorded and assessed? Experts from Agroscope have authored a concept study on this topic.
Can we kill the dreaded mosquito? Do we even want to?
11228Stacey McKenna, Sierra, 2020-04-19 15:40:08.
As a major vector for disease, the mosquito has harmed more human beings than just about any other animal, and a changing climate is only boosting those numbers. As the range of disease-carrying species of mosquitoes expands, so does their ability to transmit the parasites and viruses that result in malaria, chikungunya, Zika, yellow fever, West Nile, and dengue fever. In 2018, the continental United States saw a 25 percent increase in severe, neuroinvasive cases of West Nile virus compared with a decade earlier. And over the past three decades, the CDC reports, the worldwide incidence of dengue fever has risen 30-fold.
Gene drives as a gene modification tool. A scientific overview.
11232Ashan Ali, TechnologyTimes, 2020-04-18 15:46:03.
We have heard a lot of genes and chromosomes. But we have not heard about gene drives. In this article, we are going to get an overview of gene drives. Gene Drive is basically a genetic engineering technique that helps in the accumulation and propagation of a particular set of traits throughout the population. Gene drives basically increase the chances of certain traits to pass on to the next generations. Gene Drives arise through various mechanisms. Gene-editing techniques like CRISPR have enabled the researchers to construct gene drives. Gene drives actually are an effective method of modifying specific populations and entire species.
Controversial ‘gene drive’ could disarm deadly wheat pathogen
11236Elizabeth Pennisi, Science, 2020-04-17 17:12:53.
The Fusarium fungus is the bane of every wheat farmer’s existence. Causing wheat scab—also known as head blight—it decimates harvests and contaminates grains with a toxin harmful to people and animals. Now, Australian researchers have come up with a new strategy to combat Fusarium graminearum, the most notorious wheat scab pathogen. In the lab, they have used a genome-altering technology called “gene drive” to get rid of the fungal genes that make this pest so toxic.
Genetic variation not an obstacle to gene drive strategy to control mosquitoes
11230University of California Davis, ScienceDaily, 2020-04-16 15:42:49.
New research from entomologists at UC Davis clears a potential obstacle to using CRISPR-Cas9 "gene drive" technology to control mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and Zika.
Gene editing and the war against malaria
11226E. Bier and E. Sobber, American Scientist, 102:162. 2020-04-16 15:34:38.
Malaria is a devastating disease transmitted from person to person by mosquitoes. It kills more than 400,000 people per year, more than half of those deaths being children 5 years old or younger. CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a new gene-editing technology that acts like a pair of molecular scissors: It is used to “cut and paste” DNA sequences to alter gene function. In “Gene Editing and the War Against Malaria” (pages 162–169), Ethan Bier and Elliott Sober describe how biologists can now alter genes in a malaria-transmitting mosquito population by engineering a CRISPR gene drive, which mimics a natural evolutionary process. With this tool, a new gene can be inserted into the genome so that the alteration is rapidly passed down to successive sexually reproducing generations. Two gene-drive strategies have been found feasible: The first drives a local malaria-transmitting population to extinction; the second renders mosquitoes unable to transmit malaria, which breaks the malaria transmission cycle.
Gene editing could fight malaria by causing only male mosquitos to be born
11958L. Dormehl, Digital Trends, 2020-04-14 18:01:16.
What’s the theoretically easiest way to ensure that a population of mosquitos is not able to sustain itself through breeding? Make sure that there aren’t enough females, of course. That’s the exploratory approach being pioneered by researchers at the U.K.’s Imperial College London, who have developed a way of distorting the sex ratio in species of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes to ensure that offspring are predominantly male. Over a relatively short period of time, this causes the population of mosquitos to collapse — and, potentially, halts one of the main vectors for spreading diseases like malaria as a result.
Gene drives could stop the world’s oldest problems
11224Chloe Willianms, Inverse, 2020-04-01 15:31:23.
Kevin Esvelt worries more than the average scientist. It’s a consequence of having invented a technology powerful enough to alter an entire species. In 2013, Esvelt came up with the concept of CRISPR-based gene drive. The technology uses CRISPR, a gene editing tool, to hack the laws of inheritance: It allows scientists to genetically modify a few individuals that then spread a modified gene throughout an entire population, and eventually, every population around the world.
‘Gene Drive’ to curb malaria raises ethical questions as well
11220Gyanedra Nath Mitra, The Pioneer, 2020-03-25 15:23:14.
A new technology ‘Gene Drive’ for mosquito control is currently confined to the laboratory since it raises an ethical question, if such a technology could in future be misused to the detriment of humanity.
Should the humans be allowed to genetically modify insects?
11222Olivia Abbe, NYK Daily, 2020-03-24 15:27:57.
Genetic engineering, also called Genetic modification or Genetic manipulation, is the direct manipulation of an organism’s genes using biotechnology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including the transfer of genes within and across species boundaries to produce improved or novel organisms. New DNA is obtained by either isolating and copying the genetic material of interest using recombinant DNA methods or by artificially synthesising the DNA.
The risks of using gene drives to get rid of ‘pesky species’
8176R. Lewis, Genetic Literacy Project, 2020-03-13 19:45:32.
The mammals of New Zealand have long posed a threat to native species. The Predator Free 2050 program is an effort to rid the island of these invaders – including using the tools of CRISPR-based genome editing to create a gene drive to jumpstart extinctions. It’s a very bad idea.
NZ’s great pest-free quest: can we get there?
8181J. Morton, NZ Herald, 2020-03-09 19:58:28.
The Government has unveiled how it plans to rid New Zealand of possums, rats and stoats by 2050 – but there's no specific mention of contentious gene-editing technology that many scientists say will be needed. The Predator Free 2050 strategy, being formally launched this morning by Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage, sets out a basic structure for the ambitious mission, while an accompanying action plan focuses on work for the next five years. The 2050 goal, first announced by the previous National-led government in 2016, forms one of New Zealand's principal efforts to turn the tide on pests killing some 25 million native birds each year. The just-released strategy focused on three steps: mobilising groups and setting up collaborations around the country; developing "new and transformational tools and techniques" that'll be required to eradicate the pests; and then applying these at scale across the countryside.
What squirrels can teach us about why, when, and how to use gene drives
8184Rebecca Nesbit, synbiobeta, 2020-03-05 20:03:01.
As the last ice age drew to a close, red squirrels made Britain their home. They adapted to a changing landscape and thrived as the UK’s only squirrel species. That all changed in 1876 when grey squirrels were introduced to England from North America as an ornamental species in the grounds of stately homes.
Risk assessment challenges of synthetic gene drive organisms
12529E. Sirinathsinghji, TWN Biosafety Briefing, 2020-03-01 15:12:11.
Understanding the Science of Gene Drive and the Potential for an Improved Crop Pest Control System in Nigeria
14882A. Isah and R. S. M. Gidado, OFAB Nigeria, 2020-02-26 15:52:39.
Several studies have shown that the Cas9-mediated gene drive technology is cheaper and will be easily affordable by the efficient Nigerian scientists to explore. The application of the gene drive technologies have many more controls over several other devastating insects in Nigeria and may be very necessary to adopt it to rescue our ailing food crop industry from the attack by destructive insect pest of crops.
Digital droplet PCR and IDAA for the detection of CRISPR indel edits in the malaria species Anopheles stephensi
R. R. Carballar-Lejarazu, A. Kelsey, T. B. Pham, E. P. Bennett and A. A. James-Lejarazu, A. Kelsey, T. B. Pham, E. P. Bennett and A. A. James, Biotechniques, 68:172-179. 2020-02-10 18:08:59.CRISPR/Cas9 technology is a powerful tool for the design of gene-drive systems to control and/or modify mosquito vector populations; however, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated nonhomologous end joining mutations can have an important impact on generating alleles resistant to the drive and thus on drive efficiency. We demonstrate and compare the insertions or deletions (indels) detection capabilities of two techniques in the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles stephensi: Indel Detection by Amplicon Analysis (IDAA (TM)) and Droplet Digital (TM) PCR (ddPCR (TM)). Both techniques showed accuracy and reproducibility for indel frequencies across mosquito samples containing different ratios of indels of various sizes. Moreover, these techniques have advantages that make them potentially better suited for high-throughput nonhomologous end joining analysis in cage trials and contained field testing of gene- drive mosquitoes. METHOD SUMMARY Mosquito DNA was extracted with the Promega Wizard (R) Genomic DNA Purification Kit protocol and quantified with Qubit (R) 3.0 following manufacturer protocols. PCR products for IDAA and ddPCR were generated with primers spanning 150-500 bp around the target site. IDAA amplicons were sent directly to COBO Technologies for analysis. ddPCR amplicons were analyzed using the Bio- Rad QX200T ddPCR system.
Genetically engineered moths may save kale chips
7357C. Poku, BIOtechNOW, 2020-02-07 21:49:10.
Sea salt kale chips, bacon brussels sprouts, and buffalo cauliflower wings are under threat. Environmental activists will have you believe the biggest threat to our food system is pesticides. That’s not true, in fact, it’s insects—the very reason most pesticides are necessary. Insects are such a dangerous issue that Somalia recently declared a state of emergency as an “unprecedented” swarm of locusts is raising alarms about famine. Climate change has led to a rampant increase in bugs like locusts and moths, that threaten our food, and mosquitoes and ticks, that threaten people. A recent CNN article explains that diamondback moths are one of the most damaging insects because of their high reproduction rate and resistance to most insecticides.
Genetically engineered moths have been released into the wild to wipe out pests
7360K. Rogers, CNN, 2020-02-03 21:55:17.
Genetically modified diamondback moths designed to wipe out wild pest populations were released in fields for the first time in New York state. Diamondback moths are migratory pests found in the Americas, Europe, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, but especially in areas where crops can be grown yearround. In these parts -- where it's not too hot nor too cold -- are where diamondback moths cause the greatest problems, including billions of dollars in damages to cruciferous crops such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and canola. They're one of the most damaging insects because of their high reproduction rate and resistance to most insecticides.
Engineering Bugs, Resurrecting Species: The Wild World of Synthetic Biology for Conservation
7242P. Rejcek, Singularity Hub, 2020-02-02 15:56:24.
Imagine a world where a mosquito bite is just an itchy annoyance. No malaria. No dengue fever. Last month, scientists announced they had taken one more step toward that vision. A paper in the journal PLOS Pathogens described how they synthetically engineered mosquitoes to stop the spread of dengue fever, a viral tropical disease that sickens as many as 100 million people each year. Now imagine genetically tweaking an invasive species of mosquito to save native Hawaiian birds from extinction, or transferring genes from one species of endangered chestnut tree to another to help the latter resist blight. Employing the same sort of genetic engineering used to make a plant-based burger bleed, scientists are beginning to explore the ways synthetic biology could help protect biodiversity and conserve species.
Genetically modified butterflies could herald a new era in crop protection
7245Science News,, Science News, 2020-02-01 16:02:30.
New study highlights successful test including field release of genetically modified butterflies. Scientists believe this success could pave the way for an effective and sustainable approach to pest control in crops. The butterfly in question is the cruciferous moth ( Plutella xylostella ), or cabbage moth, a species of moth (butterfly) of the family Plutellidae. The agricultural industry has been trying for decades to find organic and environmentally friendly ways to fight the cruciferous moth, a species largely resistant to insecticides.
World’s First Genetically Modified Moths Released to Nature
7248M. Cage, SOMAG News, 2020-01-30 16:07:06.
There are many insect species that harm agricultural products in the world. One of them is diamond moths. Genetically modified moths were used to control these moths, which are harmful to many plants. Plutella xylostella or also known as diamond moths; One of the most harmful and destructive insects for plants such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and canola. This creature, which is also very resistant to pesticides, causes great damage to the plants it dips. Especially in China, this insect seriously undermines the growing of cabbage, one of the country’s most important crops.
GMO diamondback moth shows promise as sustainable pest control tool in first ever open-field release
7262Cornell University, Genetic Literacy Project, 2020-01-29 16:35:41.
A newly published study reports a successful, first-ever open-field release of a self-limiting, genetically engineered diamondback moth, stating that it paves the way for an effective and sustainable approach to pest control. The diamondback moth, also known as Plutella xylostella, is highly damaging to brassica crops such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and canola. This new strain of diamondback moth, developed by Oxitec Ltd, is modified to control pest diamondback moth in a targeted manner. The study showed the engineered strain had similar field behaviors to unmodified diamondback moths, with results offering promise for future protection of farmers’ brassica crops.
Scientists have released genetically modified moths
7259N. Kumar, The Times Hub, 2020-01-29 16:32:32.
In the US, the researchers decided to test emerging from genetic modification Diamondback moth, placing it in field conditions. The work was conducted by experts from new York, representing Cornell University.
GM Insects on the Horizon
7256E. Unglesbee, Progressive Farmer, 2020-01-29 16:22:18.
Diamondback moths would do well to be wary of potential mates in the years to come. Scientists recently completed the first successful field testing of a genetically modified (GM) "self-limiting" insect in the U.S., using this species. When the GM male diamondback moths are released and mate with wild female moths, they pass on a gene that causes all female offspring from the match to die in the early larval stages.
Male moths genetically modified to kill females released in the wild
7253M. Le Page, New Scientist, 2020-01-29 16:14:01.
Genetically modified male diamondback moths designed to wipe out pest populations have been released in New York state. The field trial shows that these GM moths, whose female offspring die soon after hatching, could help control this major crop pest. Oxitec, the British biotechnology company behind the trial, has already carried out field trials of this method for controlling mosquitoes that spread diseases such as dengue. However, the moth field trial is the first for a crop pest, the company says.
Can CRISPR Save Tufty Fluffytail?
6954L. Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 2020-01-24 16:19:51.
The native red squirrel population in the UK has been decimated by the encroachment of its American cousin, an invasive species. Could a “gene drive” hel
Mosquitoes Genetically Engineered To Resist Dengue Fever
6951R. Bailey, reason, 2020-01-24 16:17:17.
Gene drives could spread this beneficial trait through wild mosquito populations.
Synthetically engineered mosquitos could neutralize dengue virus infection
6943L. Woolfe, Biotechniques, 2020-01-22 15:59:46.
Dengue virus infection can be severe and life threatening. New research has developed an improved approach to controlling this deadly infection.
Mosquitoes genetically modified to combat dengue
6740Downtoearth, Down To Earth, 2020-01-20 20:22:34.
For the first time mosquitoes have been engineered to fight all 4 known types of dengue
Genetically Modified Mosquitos Neutralize Dengue Virus
6737N. P. Dyal, Infectious Disease Advisor, 2020-01-20 18:53:09.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have identified a target gene in mosquitos that renders the insects completely refractory to all 4 serotypes of the dengue virus and thus, incapable of transmitting the virus to humans, according to study results published in PLoS Pathogens
Genetically modified mosquitoes resist all dengue viruses, researchers find
6709B. Burton, C|NET, 2020-01-17 18:24:25.
This new kind of mosquito can't spread any form of the deadly disease.
Genetically engineered mosquitoes resist spreading any form of dengue
6734K. Servick, Science, 2020-01-16 18:50:53.
Recover from dengue once, and you’re not necessarily free and clear. The mosquito-borne disease marked by fever, rash, and debilitating pain results from any of four genetically distinct versions of the dengue virus. Previously infected people who get hit with a second of these “serotypes” can face more severe, even life-threatening symptoms. Now, by endowing a line of mosquitoes with an antibody against the virus, researchers have for the first time made insects that—at least in lab tests—appear unable to spread any form of the disease. In theory, these mosquitoes could be released into the wild to suppress the circulation of the virus.
