Keywords: Field trials
MGDrivE 3: A decoupled vector-human framework for epidemiological simulation of mosquito genetic control tools and their surveillance
Tags: CRISPR, Field trials, Gene driveMondal A, Sánchez C. HM, Marshall JM, PLoS Computational Biology, 20. 2024.
Novel mosquito genetic control tools, such as CRISPR-based gene drives, hold great promise in reducing the global burden of vector-borne diseases. As these technologies advance through the research and development pipeline, there is a growing need for modeling frameworks ...
Effectiveness evaluation of mosquito suppression strategies on dengue transmission under changing temperature and precipitation
Tags: Dengue, Field trials, Mosquitoes, Population suppressionKaihui Liu, Shuanghui Fang, Qiong Li, et al., Acta Tropica, 2024.
Efficacy of Wolbachia-mediated sterility to reduce the incidence of dengue: a synthetic control study in Singapore
Tags: Field trials, Incompatible insect technique, WolbachiaJue Tao Lim, Somya Bansal*, Chee Seng Chong*, Borame Dickens, Youming Ng, Lu Deng, Caleb Lee, Li Yun Tan, Grace Chain, Pei Ma, Shuzhen Sim, Cheong Huat Tan, Alex R Cook, Lee Ching Ng, The Lancet Microbe, 2024.
Our study comprised an at-risk population of 607 872 individuals living in intervention sites and 3 894 544 individuals living in control sites. Interventions demonstrated up to 77·28% (121/156, 95% CI 75·81–78·58) intervention efficacy despite incomplete coverage ...
The mosquito knows no borders: Regional challenges for global confrontation in the dengue battle
Tags: Field trials, Mosquitoes, South/Central AmericaBarçante JMdP, Cherem J, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 18. 2024.
Dengue fever is a neglected disease with a global impact, and its incidence and geographical reach are rapidly expanding. Global warming marked by higher average temperatures, precipitation, and longer periods of drought could prompt a record number of dengue fever infections ...
Utility of surveillance data for planning for dengue elimination in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: a scenario-tree modelling approach
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Field trials, Vector controlMelanie Bannister-Tyrrell, Alison Hillman, Citra Indrian, Riris Andono Ahmad, Adi Utarini, Cameron P Simmons, Katherine L Anders, Evan Sergeant, BMJ Global Health, 8. 2023.
Field trials and modelling studies suggest that elimination of dengue transmission may be possible through widespread release of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with the insect bacterium Wolbachia pipientis (wMel strain), in conjunction with routine dengue control activities. ...
MGSurvE: A framework to optimize trap placement for genetic surveillance of mosquito population
Tags: Dengue, Field trials, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Modeling, Population modification/replacement, Population suppressionC. H. Sánchez, D. L. Smith and J. M. Marshall, bioRxiv, 2023.
Genetic surveillance of mosquito populations is becoming increasingly relevant as genetics-based mosquito control strategies advance from laboratory to field testing. Especially applicable are mosquito gene drive projects, the potential scale of which leads monitoring to be a ...
Impact of randomised wmel Wolbachia deployments on notified dengue cases and insecticide fogging for dengue control in Yogyakarta City
Tags: Aedes, Asia, Dengue, Field trials, Population modification/replacement, WolbachiaC. Indriani, S. K. Tanamas, U. Khasanah, M. R. Ansari, Rubangi, W. Tantowijoyo, R. A. Ahmad, S. M. Dufault, N. P. Jewell, A. Utarini, C. P. Simmons and K. L. Anders, Glob Health Action, 16:2166650. 2023.
BACKGROUND: Releases of Wolbachia (wMel)-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes significantly reduced the incidence of virologically confirmed dengue in a previous cluster randomised trial in Yogyakarta City, Indonesia. Following the trial, wMel releases were extended to the untreated ...
Simple, sensitive, and cost-effective detection of wAlbB Wolbachia in Aedes mosquitoes, using loop mediated isothermal amplification combined with the electrochemical biosensing method
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Field trials, WolbachiaP. Thayanukul, B. Lertanantawong, W. Sirawaraporn, S. Charasmongkolcharoen, T. Chaibun, R. Jittungdee and P. Kittayapong, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 16:e0009600. 2022.
Author summary Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, zika, and yellow fever are transmitted to humans mainly by the bites of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Controlling the vectors of these diseases relies mostly on the use of insecticides. However, the efficiency has ...
First U.S. Open-Air Test of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Deemed a Success
Tags: Field trials, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)S. Kuta, Smithosonian Magazine, 2022.
A private company that released genetically modified mosquitoes into the open air of the Florida Keys last spring says the experiment was a success, reports Emily Waltz for Nature. Oxitec, a United Kingdom-based biotech firm initially founded at Oxford University, released the ...
EVITA Dengue: a cluster-randomized controlled trial to EValuate the efficacy of Wolbachia-InfecTed Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in reducing the incidence of Arboviral infection in Brazil
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, WolbachiaM. H. Collins, G. E. Potter, M. D. T. Hitchings, E. Butler, M. Wiles, J. K. Kennedy, S. B. Pinto, A. B. M. Teixeira, A. Casanovas-Massana, N. G. Rouphael, G. A. Deye, C. P. Simmons, L. A. Moreira, M. L. Nogueira, D. A. T. Cummings, A. I. Ko, M. M. Teixeir, Trials, 23:185. 2022.
BACKGROUND: Arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti including dengue, Zika, and chikungunya are a major global health problem, with over 2.5 billion at risk for dengue alone. There are no licensed antivirals for these infections, and safe and effective vaccines are not yet ...
Monitoring Needs for Gene Drive Mosquito Projects: Lessons From Vector Control Field Trials and Invasive Species
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, Oxitec, Population modification/replacement, Population suppression, WolbachiaG. Rašić, N. F. Lobo, E. H. Jeffrey Gutiérrez, C. H. Sánchez and J. M. Marshall, Frontiers in Genetics, 12:780327. 2022.
As gene drive mosquito projects advance from contained laboratory testing to semi-field testing and small-scale field trials, there is a need to assess monitoring requirements to: i) assist with the effective introduction of the gene drive system at field sites, and ii) detect ...
Field Trials of Gene Drive Mosquitoes: Lessons from Releases of Genetically Sterile Males and Wolbachia-infected Mosquitoes
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Incompatible insect technique, Mosquitoes, Sterile insect technique (SIT), WolbachiaJ. M. Marshall and V. N. Vásquez, Genetically Modified and other Innovative Vector Control Technologies, 2021.
The discovery of CRISPR-based gene editing and its application to homing-based gene drive has been greeted with excitement, for its potential to control mosquito-borne diseases on a wide scale, and concern, for the invasiveness and potential irreversibility of a release. At the ...
Population replacement gene drive characteristics for malaria elimination in a range of seasonal transmission settings: a modeling study
Tags: Anopheles, Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Modeling, Population modification/replacementS. Leung, N. Windbichler, E. Wenger, C. Bever and P. Selvaraj, bioRxiv, 2021.11.01.466856. 2021.
Genetically engineering mosquitoes is a promising new vector control strategy to reinvigorate the fight against malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa. Using an agent-based model of malaria transmission with vector genetics, we examine the impacts of releasing population-replacement gene ...
Decision and Analysis Tools for Complex Problems
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Invasive species, Risk and safetyHector Quemada and David O'Brochta, GeneConvene Global Collaborative, 2021.
The challenges associated with the multiple phases of testing and possible deployment of gene drive-containing organisms appear to have similarities to those associated with various aspects of invasive species management. Preventing unwanted spread of the target species as well ...
Identifying Sites for Testing Modified Mosquitoes as a Strategy to Eradicate Malaria
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Population modification/replacementA. Fell, UC Davis News, 2021.
In a newly published article in the journal Evolutionary Applications Professor Greg Lanzaro and his team at the Vector Genetics Laboratory, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, set forth a framework for the selection of field sites in Africa best suited for testing ...
Invasive Species Management: Informing Gene Drive Considerations
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive, Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, RodentsDavid O'Brochta and Hector Quemada, GeneConvene Global Collaborative, 2021.
The management, control and elimination of invasive species involves solving problems that have analogs to those anticipating the use of gene drive technologies to control and eliminate malaria in Africa. Avoiding unintended consequences from interventions designed to reduce or ...
Risk management recommendations for environmental releases of gene drive modified insects
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Modeling, Policy, Risk assessment, Stakeholder engagementY. Devos, J. D. Mumford, M. B. Bonsall, D. C. M. Glandorf and H. D. Quemada, Biotechnology Advances, 2021.
The ability to engineer gene drives (genetic elements that bias their own inheritance) has sparked enthusiasm and concerns. Engineered gene drives could potentially be used to address long-standing challenges in the control of insect disease vectors, agricultural pests and ...
INSIDER: alignment-free detection of foreign DNA sequences
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive syntheticA. P. Tay, B. Hosking, C. Hosking, D. C. Bauer and L. O. W. Wilson, Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, 19:3810-3816. 2021.
External DNA sequences can be inserted into an organism’s genome either through natural processes such as gene transfer, or through targeted genome engineering strategies. Being able to robustly identify such foreign DNA is a crucial capability for health and biosecurity ...
MGDrivE 2: A simulation framework for gene drive systems incorporating seasonality and epidemiological dynamics
Tags: Ecology, Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Modeling, Population genetics/dynamicsS. L. Wu, J. B. Bennett, C. H. Sánchez, A. J. Dolgert, T. M. León and J. M. Marshall, PLoS Comput Biol, 17:e1009030. 2021.
We present MGDrivE 2 (Mosquito Gene Drive Explorer 2): a significant development from the MGDrivE 1 simulation framework that investigates the population dynamics of a variety of gene drive architectures and their spread through spatially-explicit mosquito populations. Key ...
Burkina Faso Testing Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Curb Malaria
Tags: Africa, Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, MalariaH. Wilkins, Voice of America, 2021.
The mosquito-borne disease malaria kills more than 400,000 people each year, the vast majority in Africa. Target Malaria, an international group of scientists, is working in Burkina Faso on a genetic solution. Abdoulaye Diabate, with the West African country’s Research ...
Small-Cage Laboratory Trials of Genetically-Engineered Anopheline Mosquitoes
Tags: Anopheles, Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Replicator/site directed nucleaseR. Carballar-Lejarazú, T. B. Pham, V. Bottino-Rojas, A. Adolfi and A. A. James, J Vis Exp, 2021.
Control of mosquito-borne pathogens using genetically-modified vectors has been proposed as a promising tool to complement conventional control strategies. CRISPR-based homing gene drive systems have made transgenic technologies more accessible within the scientific community. ...
Selection of Sites for Field Trials of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes with Gene Drive
Tags: Africa, Anopheles, Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Governance, Malaria, Policy, Population modification/replacement, RegulationG. C. Lanzaro, M. Campos, M. Crepeau, A. Cornel, A. Estrada, H. Gripkey, Z. Haddad, A. Kormos, S. Palomares and W. Sharpee, bioRxiv, 2021.04.28.441877. 2021.
Novel malaria control strategies using genetically engineered mosquitoes (GEMs) are on the horizon. Population modification is one approach wherein mosquitoes are engineered with genes rendering them refractory to the malaria parasite coupled with a low-threshold, Cas9-based gene ...
Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) against Aedes Species Mosquitoes: A Roadmap and Good Practice Framework for Designing, Implementing and Evaluating Pilot Field Trials
Tags: Aedes, Field trials, Mosquitoes, Stakeholder engagement, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Vector controlC. F. Oliva, M. Q. Benedict, C. M. Collins, T. Baldet, R. Bellini, H. Bossin, J. Bouyer, V. Corbel, L. Facchinelli, F. Fouque, M. Geier, A. Michaelakis, D. Roiz, F. Simard, C. Tur and L.-C. Gouagna, Insects, 12. 2021.
We offer here a pragmatic and accessible ‘roadmap’ for the pre-pilot and pilot phases to guide any interested party. This will support stakeholders, non-specialist scientists, implementers, and decision-makers. Applying these concepts will ensure, given adequate resources, a ...
Application of the Relationship-Based Model to Engagement for Field Trials of Genetically Engineered Malaria Vectors
Tags: Ethics, Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Policy, Stakeholder engagementA. Kormos, G. C. Lanzaro, E. Bier, G. Dimopoulos, J. M. Marshall, J. Pinto, A. Aguiar dos Santos, A. Bacar, H. Sousa Pontes Sacramento Rompão and A. A. James, The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2020.
Although guidelines and recommendations for engagement for gene drives have recently been described, we argue here that communities and stakeholders should lead the planning, development, and implementation phases of engagement. The RBM provides a new approach to the development ...
Core commitments for field trials of gene drive organisms
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Risk assessmentK. C. Long, L. Alphey, G. J. Annas, C. S. Bloss, K. J. Campbell, J. Champer, C.-H. Chen, A. Choudhary, G. M. Church, J. P. Collins, K. L. Cooper, J. A. Delborne, O. R. Edwards, C. I. Emerson, K. Esvelt, S. W. Evans, R. M. Friedman, V. M. Gantz, F. Gould,, Science, 370:1417-1419. 2020.
While field trials of gene drive organisms (GDOs) ultimately will depend on public policy decisions, those engaged in GDO work can play critical roles in support of these decisions by generating evidence and developing evaluation strategies in fair and effective partnerships with ...
Scientists paved the way for field trials of gene-driven organisms
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Risk assessment, Stakeholder engagementK. Winslet, FLORIDA News Times, 2020.
The recent rise of gene drive research, accelerated by CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology, has brought about a wave of transformation throughout science.Developed with selected traits that have been genetically engineered to spread throughout the population, Gene Drive ...
Scientists Set a Path for Field Trials of Gene Drive Organisms
Tags: Ethics, Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Stakeholder engagementM. Aguilera, UC San Diego News Center, 2020.
The modern rise of gene drive research, accelerated by CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology, has led to transformational waves rippling across science. Gene drive organisms (GDOs), developed with select traits that are genetically engineered to spread through a population, have ...
Interdisciplinary development of a standardized introduction to gene drives for lay audiences
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic engineering, Policy, Stakeholder engagement, Vector controlC. E. Schairer, C. Triplett, A. Buchman, O. S. Akbari and C. S. Bloss, BMC Medical Research Methodology, 20:15. 2020.
While there is wide consensus that the public should be consulted about emerging technology early in development, it is difficult to elicit public opinion about innovations unfamiliar to lay audiences. We sought public input on a program of research on genetic engineering to ...
Further guidance required for assessment of gene drive technology, says EFSA
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Modeling, Pest management, Policy, Risk assessmentN. Foote, Euractiv, 2020.
After being mandated by the European Commission, EFSA’s experts on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) published the scientific opinion related to engineered gene drives on Thursday (12 November), specifically focusing on gene drive modified disease-transmitting insects, ...
Adequacy and sufficiency evaluation of existing EFSA guidelines for the molecular characterisation, environmental risk assessment and post-market environmental monitoring of genetically modified insects containing engineered gene drives
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Modeling, Pest management, Policy, Risk assessmentE. Panel o. G. M. Organisms, H. Naegeli, J.-L. Bresson, T. Dalmay, I. C. Dewhurst, M. M. Epstein, P. Guerche, J. Hejatko, F. J. Moreno, E. Mullins, F. Nogué, N. Rostoks, J. J. Sánchez Serrano, G. Savoini, E. Veromann, F. Veronesi, M. B. Bonsall, J. Mumfor, EFSA Journal, 18:e06297. 2020.
As a proactive measure, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has been requested by the European Commission to review whether its previously published guidelines for the risk assessment of genetically modified animals (EFSA, 2012 and 2013), including insects (GMIs), are ...
EFSA advises on risk assessment of engineered gene drives
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Modeling, Pest management, Policy, Risk assessmentEFSA, European Food and Safety Authority, 2020.
EFSA’s existing guidelines for the risk assessment of genetically modified animals are adequate for evaluating risks associated with gene drive modified insects. However, further guidance is needed for some areas, such as molecular characterisation, environmental risk ...
Swarms of genetically modified mosquitoes could soon be descending on Florida
Tags: Field trials, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, OxitecA. J. Dellinger, Mic, 2020.
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.
Two unresolved issues in community engagement for field trials of genetically modified mosquitoes
Tags: Ethics, Field trials, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Genetically modified organisms, Stakeholder engagementD. B. Resnik, Pathogens and Global Health, 113:238-245. 2019.
There is an emerging consensus among scientists, ethicists, and public health officials that substantive and effective engagement with communities and the wider public is required prior to releasing genetically modified mosquitoes into the environment.
Scientists release sterile mosquitoes in Burkina to fight malaria
Tags: Africa, Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Population suppression, Target malariaT. Ndiaga, Reuters, 2019.
Scientists in Burkina Faso have deployed a new weapon in the fight against malaria, and waded into a thorny bioethics debate, by letting loose thousands of genetically sterilized mosquitoes.Their experiment is the first outside the lab to release genetically altered mosquitoes in ...
Ecological effects on underdominance threshold drives for vector control
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive, Genetic biocontrol, Modeling, Mosquitoes, Population genetics/dynamics, UnderdominanceD. Khamis, C. El Mouden, K. Kura and M. B. Bonsall, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 456:1-15. 2018.
Here, ecological and epidemiological dynamics are coupled to a model of mosquito genetics to investigate theoretically the impact of different types of underdominance gene drive on disease prevalence. We model systems with two engineered alleles carried either on the same pair ...
Identifying and detecting potentially adverse ecological outcomes associated with the release of gene-drive modified organisms
Tags: Agriculture, CRISPR, Ecology, Field trials, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Mosquitoes, Risk and safety, Risk assessment, Stakeholder engagement, Transmission distortionHayes, KRH, G. R.; Dana, G. V.; Foster, S. D.; Ford, J. H.; Thresher, R.; Ickowicz, A.; Peel, D.; Tizard, M.; De Barro, P.; Strive, T.; Dambacher, J. M., Journal of Responsible Innovation, 5:S139-S158. 2018.
Synthetic gene drives could provide new solutions to a range of old problems such as controlling vector-borne diseases, agricultural pests and invasive species. In this paper, we outline methods to identify hazards and detect potentially adverse ecological outcomes at the ...
Informed consent in field trials of gene-drive mosquitoes
Tags: Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Stakeholder engagementP. A. Kolopack and J. V. Lavery, Gates Open Research, 2017.
We argue that informed consent from individual research participants in gene drive trials may be required: (1) when blood and other forms of clinical data are collected from them, as will likely be the case in some studies involving epidemiological endpoints, such as the ...
A Revolutionary Genetic Experiment is Planned for a West African Village – If Residents Agree
Tags: Africa, Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Target malariaIke Swetitz, STAT, 2017.
This small village of mud-brick homes in West Africa might seem the least likely place for an experiment at the frontier of biology. Yet scientists here are engaged in what could be the most promising, and perhaps one of the most frightening, biological experiments of our ...
Modelling the spatial spread of a homing endonuclease gene in a mosquito population
Tags: Anopheles, Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Malaria, Other arthropods, Replicator/site directed nuclease, ResistanceNorth, AB, A.; Godfray, H. C. J., Journal of Applied Ecology, 50:1216-1225. 2013.
Homing endonuclease genes (HEGs) exist naturally in many single-celled organisms and can show extremely strong genetic drive allowing them to spread through populations into which they are introduced. They are being investigated as tools to manipulate the populations of important ...
Ethical issues in field trials of genetically modified disease-resistant mosquitoes
Tags: Ethics, Field trials, Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Malaria, Policy, Risk and safetyD. B. Resnik, Developing World Bioethics, 14:37-46. 2012.
Mosquito-borne diseases take a tremendous toll on human populations, especially in developing nations. In the last decade, scientists have developed mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to prevent transmission of mosquito-borne diseases, and field trials have been ...
RSPM No. 27 Guidelines for Importation and Confined Field Release of Transgenic Arthropods in NAPPO Member Countries
Tags: Field trials, Genetically modified organisms, Policy, Regulation, Risk assessmentNAPPPO, NAPPO Regional Standards for Phytosanitary Measures, 2007.
This Standard is designed to provide guidance to NAPPO member countries on the importation and confined field release of transgenic arthropods that are known plant pests or have the potential to affect plant health. This includes transgenic arthropods used for biological control ...
