As the battle against malaria continues, a new idea has emerged: turning mosquitoes into our allies.
Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists from the University of California outline the idea, which uses a gene-editing tool (called CRISPR) to create mosquitoes filled with malaria-blocking genes.
The mosquitoes are also engineered with a so-called “gene drive” that will push the malaria-blocking genes through wild mosquito populations much faster than would be anticipated by Mendel’s laws of genetics.
According to the New York Times:
The other modification is a set of genetic elements known as a gene drive that should propel the malaria-resistance genes throughout a natural mosquito population. When a malaria-resistant male mosquito mates with a wild female, the gene drive copies both itself and the resistance genes over from the male chromosome to its female counterpart.
These genetically-engineered mosquitoes haven’t been introduced into the wild yet, but that could soon change. About 3.4 billion people live in areas at risk of malaria transmission and, in 2013, the disease killed 500,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.
Rendering the wild mosquito population immune to the malaria parasite may seem a fairly minimal and benign intervention. But no gene drives have yet been released into the wild, and biologists are keen to avoid surprises that might arouse public hostility to the novel technology.
To that end, study co-author Anthony James said further testing will be needed to confirm the efficacy of malaria-blocking antibodies created by the genetic tweaking. “We know the gene works,” said James, in a news release. “The mosquitoes we created are not the final brand, but we know this technology allows us to efficiently create large populations.”
Read more: Engineering Mosquitoes’ Genes to Resist Malaria
(Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
This is potentially a hugely effective way to fight malaria.
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