Tatyana Borisenko News editor 21 July 20:00 © Getty Images
Study shows how to prevent mosquitoes from spreading disease
Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases in the world, killing hundreds of thousands of people every year, mostly children under the age of five. The disease is caused by a parasite transmitted by Anopheles gambiae, the main mosquito vector in Africa.
To prevent malaria, scientists are developing new genetic technologies to target mosquitoes and stop them from spreading the disease.
One such technology, called Ifegenia, was recently reported by researchers at the University of California San Diego and their collaborators.
Ifegenia is a system that uses CRISPR-Cas9, a gene editing tool that can make precise cuts in DNA. The system targets a gene called fle, which is essential for the development of female mosquitoes, according to Phys.org.
By disrupting this gene, Ifegenia kills female mosquitoes that bite and transmit malaria.
On the other hand, male mosquitoes inherit infegenia but do not suffer from it. They can still mate and pass the system on to their offspring.
The researchers tested Ifegenia in lab cages and found it to be highly effective at killing female mosquitoes and suppressing the population. They also showed that Ifegenia was stable and did not lose its activity for several generations.
Ifegenia is a promising malaria control technology because it is simple, safe and scalable. It’s simple because it only requires Cas9 and a guide RNA.
It is safe because it does not introduce any foreign genes or toxins into mosquitoes or the environment. It only targets a gene specific to A. gambiae and does not affect other species. It is scalable because it can spread through natural mating and does not require any external intervention or maintenance.
Ifegenia could potentially be deployed in malaria-endemic regions to reduce or eliminate mosquito vectors and break the transmission cycle. This could save millions of lives and improve the economic and social conditions of affected communities.
However, before Infegenia can be used in the field, it must undergo further testing and evaluation to ensure it is safe and effective. It must also be approved by regulatory authorities and accepted by local stakeholders.
Ifegenia is not the only genetic technology being developed to fight malaria. Other approaches include modifying mosquitoes to make them resistant to the parasite or sterile.
These technologies can complement each other and provide several options for malaria control.
2023-07-21 17:00:36
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