This is a database of peer-reviewed literature that focuses on Genetic Biocontrol research. The latest are shown here.
A detailed landscape of CRISPR-Cas-mediated plant disease and pest management
Background
Genome editing technology has rapidly evolved to knock-out genes, create targeted genetic variation, install precise insertion/deletion and single nucleotide changes, and perform large-scale alteration. The flexible and multipurpose editing technologies have started playing a substantial role in the field of plant disease management. CRISPR-Cas has reduced many limitations of earlier technologies and emerged as a versatile toolbox for genome manipulation.
Karmakar, S., Das, P., Panda, D., Xie, K., Baig, M. J., & Molla, K. A. (2022). A detailed landscape of CRISPR-Cas-mediated plant disease and pest management. Plant Science, 323, 111376.
Advances in Mosquito Control: A Comprehensive Review
Background
Mosquitoes are the important global vectors transmitting diseases of human concern such as dengue, Chikungunya, Malaria, encephalitis and yellow fever, etc. Management of mosquito-borne diseases largely relies on the vector management because of the lack of effective medication and vaccination. Several strategies have been formulated and applied in the fields to control mosquitoes; yet there is a continued rise in mosquito-borne diseases leading to sufferings and morbidities. These strategies span from Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) Release of Insects Carrying a Dominant Lethal (RIDL), creating transgenics with abnormal and lethal genes, gene drive technology, reducing the vectorial capacity by Wolbachia infection and application of attractive toxic sugar baits (ATSB), or by lasers and light detectors to investigate their behavior, and enhance their trap and kill.
Kumar, S., & Sahgal, A. (2022). Advances in Mosquito Control: A Comprehensive Review. Advances in Diptera-Insight, Challenges and Management Tools.
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Applications of gene drive systems for population suppression of insect pests
Background
Population suppression is an effective way for controlling insect pests and disease vectors, which cause significant damage to crop and spread contagious diseases to plants, animals and humans. Gene drive systems provide innovative opportunities for the insect pests population suppression by driving genes that impart fitness costs on populations of pests or disease vectors. Different gene-drive systems have been developed in insects and applied for their population suppression.
Asad, M., Liu, D., Chen, J., & Yang, G. (2022). Applications of gene drive systems for population suppression of insect pests. Bulletin of Entomological Research, 1-10.
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Genomic data is missing for many highly invasive species, restricting our preparedness for escalating incursion rates
Background
Biological invasions drive environmental change, potentially threatening native biodiversity, human health, and global economies. Population genomics is an increasingly popular tool in invasion biology, improving accuracy and providing new insights into the genetic factors that underpin invasion success compared to research based on a small number of genetic loci. We examine the extent to which population genomic resources, including reference genomes, have been used or are available for invasive species research.
Matheson, P., & McGaughran, A. (2022). Genomic data is missing for many highly invasive species, restricting our preparedness for escalating incursion rates. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 13987.
Precision Guided Sterile Males Suppress Populations of an Invasive Crop Pest
Background
The Drosophila suzukii invasion of western countries has created an immense agricultural and economic threat to crop production. Despite many attempts to suppress its population, D. suzukii continues to destroy soft-flesh fruits. Precision guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) utilizes the accuracy of programmable CRISPR gene targeting to generate sterilized males that can be deployed to suppress populations. Here, we generate pgSIT in D. suzukii and empirically and mathematically demonstrate that sterilized males are fit, competitive, and can eliminate populations of D. suzukii. Altogether, we describe an efficient way to generate sterile D. suzukii for release and safe effective population suppression.
Kandul, N. P., Liu, J., Buchman, A., Shriner, I. C., Corder, R. M., Warsinger-Pepe, N., … & Akbari, O. S. (2022). Precision Guided Sterile Males Suppress Populations of an Invasive Crop Pest. GEN Biotechnology, 1(4), 372-385.
Reflection on the Challenges, Accomplishments, and New Frontiers of Gene Drives
Background
Ongoing pest and disease outbreaks pose a serious threat to human, crop, and animal lives, emphasizing the need for constant genetic discoveries that could serve as mitigation strategies. Gene drives are genetic engineering approaches discovered decades ago that may allow quick, super-Mendelian dissemination of genetic modifications in wild populations, offering hopes for medicine, agriculture, and ecology in combating diseases. Following its first discovery, several naturally occurring selfish genetic elements were identified and several gene drive mechanisms that could attain relatively high threshold population replacement have been proposed.
Melesse Vergara, M., Labbé, J., & Tannous, J. (2022). Reflection on the Challenges, Accomplishments, and New Frontiers of Gene Drives. BioDesign Research, 2022.
Strategies to improve homology-based repair outcomes following CRISPR-based gene editing in mosquitoes: lessons in how to keep any repair disruptions local
Background
Programmable gene editing systems such as CRISPR-Cas have made mosquito genome engineering more practical and accessible, catalyzing the development of cutting-edge genetic methods of disease vector control. This progress, however, has been limited by the low efficiency of homology-directed repair (HDR)-based sequence integration at DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and a lack of understanding about DSB repair in mosquitoes.
Finney, M., Romanowski, J., & Adelman, Z. N. (2022). Strategies to improve homology-based repair outcomes following CRISPR-based gene editing in mosquitoes: lessons in how to keep any repair disruptions local. Virology Journal, 19(1), 1-11.
Gene drive in species complexes: defining target organisms
Background
Engineered gene drives share many environmental risk assessment considerations with other transgenes in genetically modified organisms, but they can differ significantly in their potential to spread, increase in frequency, and persist in target populations. Recently, introduction of mosquitoes with an engineered gene drive completely suppressed caged wild type laboratory populations of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae, belonging to a species complex containing both vector and nonvector species that can produce fertile interspecific hybrids.
Connolly, J. B., Romeis, J., Devos, Y., Glandorf, D. C., Turner, G., & Coulibaly, M. B. (2022). Gene drive in species complexes: defining target organisms. Trends in Biotechnology.
Population replacement gene drive characteristics for malaria elimination in a range of seasonal transmission settings: a modelling study
Background
Gene drives are a genetic engineering method where a suite of genes is inherited at higher than Mendelian rates and has been proposed as a promising new vector control strategy to reinvigorate the fight against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.
Leung, S., Windbichler, N., Wenger, E. A., Bever, C. A., & Selvaraj, P. (2022). Population replacement gene drive characteristics for malaria elimination in a range of seasonal transmission settings: a modelling study. Malaria Journal, 21(1), 1-20.
Operationalizing stakeholder engagement for gene drive research in malaria elimination in Africa—translating guidance into practice
Background
Gene drive mosquitoes are increasingly considered a potential transformational tool for vector control of malaria mosquitoes. As part of efforts to promote responsible research in this field, a number of guidance documents have been published by the World Health Organization, National Academies and expert groups. While virtually all recent guidance documents on gene drive research stress the importance of stakeholder engagement activities, no specific guidelines on implementing them have been established. Target Malaria, a not-for-profit research consortium developing a vector-control gene drive approach to eliminate malaria, has reflected on how its stakeholder engagement strategy translates engagement guidance documents into practice.
Pare Toe, L., Dicko, B., Linga, R., Barry, N., Drabo, M., Sykes, N., & Thizy, D. (2022). Operationalizing stakeholder engagement for gene drive research in malaria elimination in Africa—translating guidance into practice. Malaria Journal, 21(1), 1-16.