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While the debate on human manipulation at the origin of the pandemic of the new coronavirus (Covid-19) is not yet closed, now in the United States, the state of Florida decides to release 750 million male mosquitoes genetically modified in the Keys, a group of islands located in the southern United States. The operation will take place in 2021 but raises controversy in scientific circles and among conservationists. A petition on Change.org collected 240,000 signatures.
The stated objective is to reduce “wild” mosquitoes carrying diseases such as Zika, Dengue, malaria and yellow fever. The project carried by the company Oxitec, born at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom, specifically consists in producing the male mosquitoes Aedes aegypti, genetically modified (OX5034) which will reproduce with wild mosquitoes carrying the disease.
A great financial gain, while waiting for success in the field
The program was born from the idea of a zoological researcher, Luke Alphey who, in the early 2000s, filed a patent on the technology of genetic sterilization of insects. The Oxitec company was created in 2002 thanks to a public and private competition, in particular East Hill Advisors of Boston. In 2005, a new call for funds and collected 645,000 euros (550,000 pounds) from Oxofrd Capital Partners. In August 2015, the company was sold to Intrexon for $ 160 million. This is a great financial gain while awaiting feedback from the field.
According to the company’s explanation, genetically engineered male mosquitoes carry a protein that will kill any female offspring before they reach middle age for the bite. The project has received US government approval since May. Tests have been carried out in Brazil. The program will expand to Texas in 2021.
It remains to measure the effectiveness of these GMO mosquitoes. In 2017, GeneWatch concluded that these releases were ineffective in reducing dengue fever. The Cayman Islands government, which subscribed to it in 2009 and 2010, has since backed down, concluding that the process is ineffective and the cost of releasing mosquitoes is high.
What about Africa in this debate of an experience that can be beneficial if successful? For the moment, only Burkina Faso has subscribed to such an experience. The Burkina Faso Health Sciences Research Institute (IRSS) released genetically modified male mosquitoes in the town of Bana, in the southwest of the country in July 2019, despite criticism and protests from Local and African NGOs. This project was funded by the Target Malaria Initiative, a research consortium led by Imperial College London, the institution behind the theory on the effectiveness of containment to counter the coronavirus.
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