Gene Drive Technology in the News
Will new genetic engineering tech finally eliminate malaria?
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Malaria, Sterile insect technique (SIT)Anonymous, Business Daily, 2023.
Richard Mukabana, a senior research and policy analyst at African Institute for Development Policy, says the technology which employs the principle of sending a thief to catch a thief may yet prove the most effective. “It is only a mosquito that knows where another mosquito is ...
White-Eyed Fruit Flies: How Improvements in Gene Editing Could Aid in Pest Managemen
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified organisms, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. Bernhardt, Entomology Today, 2023.
The SIT involves scientists raising the target fruit fly species in the lab, sterilizing the flies by exposing them to a certain amount of radiation while they are still pupae, and releasing large amounts of the newly sterile flies into nature. When the released, sterile flies ...
Introducing Emerging Health Technologies in Africa
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Gene editingHealth Tech Africa, Health Tech Africa Podcast, 2023.
In this episode, the Project Director of the Platform for Dialogue and Action on Health Technologies in Africa, Professor Richard Mukabana, discusses new technologies that if well developed and proven safe and effective, have enormous potential to eradicate disease on the ...
Social justice environmental activists move to block gene editing to control invasive species and promote biodiversity. Here’s why they’re misguided
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Ethics, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Gene editing, Invasive species, Other mammals, Policy, RegulationS. Smyth, Genetic Literacy Project, 2023.
Control of invasive species has been extremely difficult with eradication virtually impossible. To control invasive plant species, chemicals are commonly used while in some instances removal of plants by hand, as Shiva advocates, is undertaken. Efforts to control invasive animals ...
Biopolitik: The Promise of Gene Drive
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Population modification/replacement, Population suppressionS. Todi, Technopolitik, 2023.
Gene drives are genetic elements of an organism that are transmitted to progeny at higher than mendelian frequencies (>50%). Gene editing techniques such as CRISPR–Cas9 have made gene drives extremely efficient in laboratory settings and have shown the potential to reduce the ...
How CRISPR could help save crops from devastation caused by pests
Tags: Agriculture, Gene drive, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. F. Merchant, MIT Technology Review, 2023.
Researchers are now looking to add cutting-edge technology to California’s anti-Pierce’s arsenal, by changing the genome of the glassy-winged sharpshooter so that it can no longer spread the bacterium. Such a solution is possible thanks to CRISPR gene-editing technology, ...
Imperial startup Biocentis to develop genetic tech to control harmful insects
Tags: Agriculture, Gene drive, Genetic biocontrol, Sterile insect technique (SIT)D. Silverman, Imperial College London, 2023.
The Imperial startup was founded in 2022 by Imperial researchers in partnership with technology-focused investment group Neurone to create a more effective and sustainable alternative to pesticides. While insects play an essential role in the global ecosystem, among the ...
Researchers Create New System for Safer Gene-Drive Testing and Development
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Self limitingM. Aguilera, UC San Diego Today, 2023.
In the journal Nature Communications, University of California San Diego researchers led by former Postdoctoral Scholar Gerard Terradas together with Postdoctoral Scholar Zhiqian Li and Professor Ethan Bier, in close collaboration with UC Berkeley graduate student Jared Bennett ...
Biotech company released 2.4 billions GM Mosquitoes in two parts of the U.S
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)C. Victorial, NEWSBREAK, 2022.
Due to the high death rate that mosquitoes have inflicted, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the release of 2.4 billion genetically modified mosquitoes in selected regions of California and Florida. These modified mosquitoes were created by a biotechnology ...
How Selfish Genes Succeed: Critical Insights Uncovered About Dangerous DNA
Tags: Selfish genetic elements, Transmission distortion, Yeast and FungiSTOWERS INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH, SciTechDaily, 2022.
New findings from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research uncover critical insights about how a dangerous selfish gene—considered to be a parasitic portion of DNA—functions and survives. Understanding this dynamic is a valuable resource for the broader community studying ...
Genetically modified mosquitoes … could CRISPR gene editing end malaria?
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Population suppression, Target malariaD. Wells, SelectScience, 2022.
Despite being a preventable and treatable disease, malaria is currently affecting the lives of more than 200 million people.1 This results in over half a million deaths per year, with 80% of this mortality occurring in children under the age of 5.2 In addition to the tragic ...
New CRISPR tech makes it possible to wipe out invasive mice
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Invasive species, Population suppression, Rodents2022.
East Maui project hopes mosquito v. mosquito mating battle will save endangered birds
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Birds, Incompatible insect technique, Invasive species, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. Cerizo, MAUINOW, 2022.
Good news in the fight against vector-borne diseases
Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)K. Magori, 2022.
At the turn of the century, several research groups attempted to apply modern genetic methodologies to achieve similar outcomes without the need for irradiation and the resulting fitness costs. Luke Alphey and his colleagues at Oxford University developed a dominant lethal ...
Experts urge caution over biotech that can wipe out insect pests
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified organisms, Governance, Policy, Risk and safetyL. Fauvel, Phys Org, 2022.
Dozens of scientists, experts and campaigners called for a ban on the release of genetically-edited organisms into the wild, in a statement Friday warning of potentially severe risks to the world's pollinators. The appeal was launched at crunch biodiversity talks in Montreal, ...
How selfish genes succeed
Tags: Selfish genetic elements, Toxin-antidote, Transmission distortion, Yeast and FungiStowers Institute for Medical Research, ScienceDaily, 2022.
A new study reveals how a selfish gene in yeast uses a poison-antidote strategy that enables its function and likely has facilitated its long-term evolutionary success. This strategy is an important addition for scientists studying similar systems including teams that are ...
A natural gene drive could steer invasive rodents on islands to extinction
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Invasive species, Population suppression, Rodents, Sex distorter, Transmission distortionB. Brookshire, ScienceNews, 2022.
In the battle against the invasive house mouse on islands, scientists are using the rodent’s own genes against it. With the right tweaks, introducing a few hundred genetically altered mice could drive an island’s invasive mouse population to extinction in about 25 years, ...
East African policy dialogue on research of genetically modified mosquitoes for malaria control and elimination
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Governance, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Target malariaC. Mugoya, Target Malaria, 2022.
The East African Community Secretariat, in collaboration with the East African Health Research Commission; NEPAD, AFIDEP and IFAKARA Health Institute recently convened an East African regional dialogue in Dar es salaam, Tanzania from 17-19 November 2022 to deliberate the way ...
Oxitec’s mosquitoes are getting “friendly” with California
Tags: Aedes, North America, Oxitec, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. Patrick, The Sun Gazette, 2022.
Biotech company Oxitec is buzzing around Visalia, with the hopes of releasing their genetically engineered mosquitoes in Tulare County. Oxitec has one more hurdle to jump over in order to release their “friendly” Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Tulare County, and that’s to gain ...
Scientist Recommends Gene Drive Strategies Of Pest Control To Increase Food Security
Tags: Africa, Agriculture, Gene drive, Gene drive syntheticL. Agbo, allnews, 2022.
A Nigerian scientist, Dr. Rose Gidado has recommended that Nigerian policymakers and farmers adopt the technology of a gene drive-based pest management technique in order to increase bumper harvest and food security.In an interview with NAN on Monday in Abuja, Gidado, the Deputy ...
That new chestnut? USDA plans to allow the release of GE trees into wild forests
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive syntheticD. E. Davis, The Hill, 2022.
In the 21st century, there are those who believe the trees can be resuscitated via genetic engineering (GE). In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has just released a draft environmental impact statement and draft plant pest risk assessment that will allow the ...
Should NZ use contentious gene tech in our war on pests?
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, Oceania, Population suppressionJ. Morton, NZ Herald, 2022.
Gene-altering technology could offer “breakthrough opportunities” for saving our pest-threatened species, a new future-scoping report says, but there’d be some tricky issues to address before it’d be a realistic option. Scientists have already been exploring how these ...
Discovery of 119-Million-Year-Old “Selfish” Genes Casts Doubt on Established Evolution Beliefs
Tags: Evolution, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Selfish genetic elements, Transmission distortion, Yeast and FungiStowers Institute for Medical Research, SciTechDaily, 2022.
Meiotic drivers, a kind of selfish gene, are indeed selfish. They are found in virtually all species’ genomes, including humans, and unjustly transfer their genetic material to more than half of their offspring, resulting in infertility and impaired organism health. Their ...
Turns Out Fighting Mosquitoes With Mosquitoes Actually Works
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Oxitec, Self limiting, South/Central America, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. Mullin, Wired, 2022.
In the Brazilian city of Indaiatuba, an effort is underway to eliminate these pests before they have a chance to spread illness. The weapon: more Aedes aegypti mosquitoes—but ones genetically engineered to kill their own kind. Made by British biotechnology firm Oxitec, the ...
Should we use a genetic weapon against mosquitoes carrying malaria?
Tags: Africa, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Malaria, Target malariaT. H. Saey, ScienceNewsExplores, 2022.
In a large laboratory cage, a male mosquito carries a genetic weapon that could launch the destruction of his species. That loss could also mean the end of the parasite that causes malaria. The weapon? A self-replicating bit of DNA known as a gene drive. It’s one of the most ...
Health experts meet in Dar over use of GMO mosquitoes to fight Malaria
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Malaria, OxitecM. Chelangat, NATION, 2022.
Regional health think thanks led by the African Institute for Development and Policy (AFIDEP), East African Community(EAC) Health department, East African Health Research Commission and Ifakara health institute will be meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for three day starting ...
Gene drive could be used to wipe out invasive mice on islands
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Population suppression, Rodents, Transmission distortionM. Le Page, NewScientist, 2022.
For the first time, researchers have created a gene drive – a kind of genetic parasite – that could be used to eradicate mammalian pests such as mice by making them infertile. The technology could provide a humane alternative to the poison baits currently used to tackle ...
World first trial to eradicate mice through gene modification
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Population suppression, Rodents, Transmission distortionI. Mannix, COSMOS, 2022.
Mouse populations could be eradicated in some areas through new gene modification technology to render female mice infertile. The technology – called t-CRISPR – was previously developed to target malaria-transmitting mosquitoes. This is the first proof of concept for its use ...
Gene drive technology to suppress invasive mice
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive, Genetic biocontrol, Modeling, Population suppression, RodentsUniversity of Adelaide, Phys Org, 2022.
Researchers at the University of Adelaide have released their first findings on the potential effectiveness of revolutionary gene drive technology to control invasive mice. The team has developed a world-first proof of concept for the technology—called t-CRISPR—using ...
Calif. Legislature bites back at GE mosquito releases
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)L. Patrick, Sun Gazette, 2022.
A biotech company created millions of genetically modified mosquitoes, but not in the Jurassic Park sense. The lab grown species could actually lower the population of an invasive mosquito that carries a plethora of diseases on its shoulders.On Nov. 3, several members of the ...
WORLDWIDE: EXPERTS ON GENE DRIVES
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Risk and safety, Risk assessmentStop Gene Drive, STOP GENE DRIVES, 2022.
We are travelling the world speaking to some of the world’s leading thinkers, activists and academics on the impact of gene drives. We interviewed more than 20 experts from around the world
Genetically modified mosquitoes cut the insect’s number by 96 per cent
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)M. Fauzia, NewScientist, 2022.
The release of genetically modified male mosquitoes into a city in Brazil temporarily cut the virus-carrying insects by up to 96 per cent. Although not a permanent fix, periodically releasing such mosquitoes could reduce the burden of infections including dengue, malaria and ...
Zombie Deer and the Scientists Behind the War on the ‘Man Eater’
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified organisms, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. Jones, NC STATE CALS News, 2022.
In the remote jungles of the Panama-Colombia border, sterile flesh-eating flies fall from the sky in the thousands. Released from retired military planes, they embark on a suicide mission for their species, with the sole purpose of duping their female counterparts into mating ...
What are gene drivers and why do 300,000 people want them banned?
Tags: Ecology, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Risk and safety, Risk assessmentAnika, Social Bites, 2022.
Ecologists in Action and Madrid Agroecologico submitted 300,000 citizen signatures to the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, asking Minister Teresa Ribera to give Spain a boost. International moratorium on technology for the release of organisms modified ...
Target Malaria’s scientists are working to rid Africa of an ancient plague
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, MalariaD. Matthews, Vox, 2022.
This could very well be the last century in human history when people die from malaria. If and when we do eradicate the disease, the team at Target Malaria will probably deserve a big share of the credit. Their plan to use gene drive technology to wipe out species of mosquitoes ...
119-Million-Year-Old “Selfish” Genes Uncovered in Yeast
Tags: Selfish genetic elements, Transmission distortion, Yeast and FungiStowers Institute for Medical Research, Technology Networks, 2022.
Meiotic drivers, a type of selfish gene, are indeed selfish. Present in the genomes of nearly all species, including humans, they unfairly transfer their genetic material to more than half of their offspring, sometimes leading to infertility, and decreased organism health. ...
Why we need to talk about ‘gene-drive’ grey squirrels
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, Population suppression, Stakeholder engagementAnonymous, University of Exeter, 2022.
Would the best way of controlling the UK’s rampant grey squirrel population be to spread genetic changes throughout the species? A new research film, to be shown next month at Exeter Phoenix, sees scientists, conservation and wildlife experts debate the use of emergent ...
Combating Mosquito-Borne Diseases with CRISPR
Tags: CRISPR, Dengue, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Malaria, Sterile insect technique (SIT)N. Spahich, The Scientist, 2022.
Female mosquitoes are some of the deadliest organisms in the world due to their ability to spread infectious diseases through a simple bite. Mosquito-borne diseases such as yellow fever, Zika, Dengue fever, and malaria kill millions of humans every year, and there are limited ...
Research: Scientists Modify Mosquitoes That Can’t Spread Malaria
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Population modification/replacementN. Kharbanda, Onlymyhealth, 2022.
According to a research, scientists have found a way to genetically engineer mosquitoes with the capability to slow down the multiplication of malaria-causing parasites in their gut. This is an advance study, that can help in preventing the infecting of the disease in humans. The ...
Explained: How Scientists Are Genetically modifying Mosquitoes To Reduce Malaria
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Population modification/replacementAnonymous, Outlook, 2022.
he Delhi High Court on Friday asked the state government to inform it within two weeks of the proposal of increasing the fine amount in mosquito breeding cases. The court last year took suo moto cognizance of the issue of large-scale mosquito breeding in the city, resulting in ...
Explained: How scientists engineered mosquitoes that cannot spread malaria
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Malaria, Population modification/replacementFP Explainers, Firstpost, 2022.
The world of science is reaching new heights. Scientists have now developed mosquitoes that will bite you but not cause malaria. The study was conducted by a team of researchers called Transmission: Zero at the Imperial College of London. The results of the research were ...
Malaria Gene Drives: A Battle Of Wit Between The Government And Stakeholders
Tags: Africa, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified mosquitoes, MalariaO. Onwumere, The Nigerian Voice, 2022.
Through the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), guidelines for gene editing, primarily in agriculture, were approved by the Nigerian Federal Government in December 2020. As the first country in Africa, the government was praised for taking the momentous step of ...
Malaria-free mosquito engineered by scientists
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Population modification/replacementGNA, MODERN GHANA, 2022.
Scientists have genetically modified the main malaria-carrying species of mosquito in sub-SaharanAfrica to slow the growth of malaria-causing parasites in their gut, preventing transmission of thedisease to humans. When the Anopheles gambiae takes a blood meal, it produces two ...
Gene drive used to make all female mosquitoes sterile
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified mosquitoes, MalariaAkfire1, TechiLink, 2022.
We have long known that we can limit malaria infections by controlling the mosquitoes that transmit them. But that knowledge has not translated into auditing efforts that have always been completely successful. Many of the approaches we have used to control mosquitoes have caused ...
How We’re Reducing Disease With Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
Tags: Aedes, Anopheles, Dengue, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Malaria, Mosquitoes, North America, OxitecV. Wise, HealthMatch, 2022.
We all know mosquitoes as those annoying insects we swat away from our faces. They carry diseases, so we don’t want them anywhere near us. There are over 200 types of wild mosquitoes bugging us across America and the U.S. territories. Approximately 12 types can spread disease, ...
Scientists stunt parasite growth to tackle malaria
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Population modification/replacementRSS24.news, RSS24.NEWS, 2022.
Loss of life, loss of livlihoods and homelessness have already afflicted these flood marooned refugees in Pakistan. Now these living conditions means they also face sickness and and without protection malaria is a major threat. Health agencies try to protect people against ...
Scientists are manipulating the DNA of mosquitoes to fight the spread of malaria
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Population modification/replacementR. Min, EURONEWS.NEXT, 2022.
Scientists say they have managed to genetically modify mosquitoes so that they are unable to spread malaria, a disease that kills well over half a million people each year. The changes cause mosquitoes to live shorter lives, while the parasites inside them, which cause the fatal ...
Scientists engineer mosquitoes that cannot spread malaria
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Population modification/replacementJ. Dalton, Independen, 2022.
Scientists have engineered mosquitoes that cannot give humans malaria, saying their work could potentially eliminate the disease. Researchers at Imperial College London genetically modified the insects so that the growth of malaria-causing parasites in their guts was slowed.
Scientists Engineer Mosquitoes That Can’t Transmit Malaria
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Population modification/replacementC. Murez, US News, 2022.
The fight against malaria could hinge on genetically engineered mosquitoes that have something called "gene drive."Researchers from the Transmission: Zero team at Imperial College London report that they have engineered mosquitoes that slow the growth in their gut of the ...
Mosquitoes that can’t spread malaria engineered by scientists
Tags: Anopheles, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Population modification/replacement2022.
Scientists have engineered mosquitoes that slow the growth of malaria-causing parasites in their gut, preventing transmission of the disease to humans The genetic modification causes mosquitoes to produce compounds in their guts that stunt the growth of parasites, meaning they ...
