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Posted: 26th September 2018

Gene editing technique eliminates population of mosquitoes
The technique was utilised to target the Anopheles gambiae mosquito that is responsible for malaria transmission.
Study offers hope in the fight against malaria

Scientists have used gene editing technology to wipe out a population of caged mosquitoes for the first time.

Researchers from Imperial College London used a technique called ’gene drive’ to spread a genetic modification that blocks female production.

The technique was utilised to target the Anopheles gambiae mosquito that is responsible for malaria transmission. Researchers hope that mosquitoes carrying a gene drive could be released in the future to control wild mosquito populations.

Lead researcher Professor Andrea Crisanti, from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial, said: “This breakthrough shows that gene drive can work, providing hope in the fight against a disease that has plagued mankind for centuries.

“There is still more work to be done, both in terms of testing the technology in larger lab-based studies and working with affected countries to assess the feasibility of such an intervention.”

In the study, the team targeted a gene called ‘doublesex’ which is responsible for whether a mosquito develops as a male or as a female. They engineered a gene drive solution to alter a region of the doublesex gene that is responsible for female development.

Males and females who carried the modified gene showed no changes. However, females with two copies of the modified gene displayed male and female characteristics, failed to bite, and did not lay eggs.

“It will still be at least 5-10 years before we consider testing any mosquitoes with gene drive in the wild, but now we have some encouraging proof that we’re on the right path,” Professor Crisanti continued. “Gene drive solutions have the potential one day to expedite malaria eradication by overcoming the barriers of logistics in resource-poor countries.”

The study is published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.




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