Publications

Wolbachia-based strategies for control of agricultural pests

July 20, 2023

Background Wolbachia-based incompatible insect technique (IIT) and pathogen blocking technique (PBT) have been shown to be effective at protecting humans from mosquito-borne diseases in the past decades. Population suppression based on IIT and population replacement based on PBT have become major field application strategies that have continuously been improved by the translational research on Wolbachia-transinfected […]

The optimal strategy of incompatible insect technique (IIT) using Wolbachia and the application to malaria control

May 24, 2023

Background For decades, techniques to control vector population with low environmental impact have been widely explored in both field and theoretical studies. The incompatible insect technique (IIT) using Wolbachia, based on cytoplasmic incompatibility, is a technique that Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes are incapable of producing viable offspring after mating with wild-type female mosquitoes. Matsufuji, T., & Seirin-Lee, S. […]

Gene Drives as Interventions into Nature: the Coproduction of Ontology and Morality in the Gene Drive Debate

May 24, 2023

Background Gene drives are potentially ontologically and morally disruptive technologies. The potential to shape evolutionary processes and to eradicate (e.g. malaria-transmitting or invasive) populations raises ontological questions about evolution, nature, and wilderness. The transformative promises and perils of gene drives also raise pressing ethical and political concerns. Boersma, K., Bovenkerk, B., & Ludwig, D. (2023). […]

The boundary problem: Defining and delineating the community in field trials with gene drive organisms

May 24, 2023

Background Despite widespread and worldwide efforts to eradicate vector-borne diseases such as malaria, these diseases continue to have an enormous negative impact on public health. For this reason, scientists are working on novel control strategies, such as gene drive technologies (GDTs). As GDT research advances, researchers are contemplating the potential next step of conducting field […]

The Promise and Challenge of Genetic Biocontrol Approaches for Malaria Elimination

May 24, 2023

Background Malaria remains an ongoing public health challenge, with over 600,000 deaths in 2021, of which approximately 96% occurred in Africa. Despite concerted efforts, the goal of global malaria elimination has stalled in recent years. This has resulted in widespread calls for new control methods. Genetic biocontrol approaches, including those focused on gene-drive-modified mosquitoes (GDMMs), […]