This is a database of peer-reviewed literature that focuses on Genetic Biocontrol research. The latest are shown here.
Experimental demonstration of tethered gene drive systems for confined population modification or suppression
Background
Homing gene drives hold great promise for the genetic control of natural populations. However, current homing systems are capable of spreading uncontrollably between populations connected by even marginal levels of migration. This could represent a substantial sociopolitical barrier to the testing or deployment of such drives and may generally be undesirable when the objective is only local population control, such as suppression of an invasive species outside of its native range.
Metzloff, M., Yang, E., Dhole, S., Clark, A. G., Messer, P. W., & Champer, J. (2022). Experimental demonstration of tethered gene drive systems for confined population modification or suppression. BMC biology, 20(1), 1-13.
Recommendations for environmental risk assessment of gene drive applications for malaria vector control
Background
Building on an exercise that identified potential harms from simulated investigational releases of a population suppression gene drive for malaria vector control, a series of online workshops identified nine recommendations to advance future environmental risk assessment of gene drive applications.
Connolly, J. B., Mumford, J. D., Glandorf, D. C., Hartley, S., Lewis, O. T., Evans, S. W., … & Aboagye-Antwi, F. (2022). Recommendations for environmental risk assessment of gene drive applications for malaria vector control. Malaria Journal, 21(1), 152.
Elimination of a closed population of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, through releases of self-limiting male mosquitoes
Background
Establishment of novel mosquito control technologies such as the use of genetically engineered insects typically involves phased testing to generate robust data-sets that support its safe and effective use as a vector control tool. In this study, we demonstrate the ability of the transgenic self-limiting OX513A Aedes aegypti strain to suppress a wild type Ae. aegypti population in an outdoor containment facility in India. OX513A is a genetically engineered Ae. aegypti strain with a repressible dominant self-limiting gene. When male adult OX513A mate with wild female adults, a single copy of the self-limiting gene is inherited by all the progeny, leading to death of >95% of progeny during larval/pupal development.
Patil, P. B., Dasgupta, S. K., Gorman, K., Pickl-Herk, A., Puinean, M., McKemey, A., … & Barwale, S. R. (2022). Elimination of a closed population of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, through releases of self-limiting male mosquitoes. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 16(5), e0010315.
Genome Editing for Sustainable Agriculture in Africa
Background
Sustainable intensification of agriculture in Africa is essential for accomplishing food and nutritional security and addressing the rising concerns of climate change. There is an urgent need to close the yield gap in staple crops and enhance food production to feed the growing population. In order to meet the increasing demand for food, more efficient approaches to produce food are needed. All the tools available in the toolbox, including modern biotechnology and traditional, need to be applied for crop improvement. The full potential of new breeding tools such as genome editing needs to be exploited in addition to conventional technologies. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas)-based genome editing has rapidly become the most prevalent genetic engineering approach for developing improved crop varieties because of its simplicity, efficiency, specificity, and easy to use.
Tripathi, L., Dhugga, K. S., Ntui, V. O., Runo, S., Syombua, E. D., Muiruri, S., … & Tripathi, J. N. (2022). Genome editing for sustainable agriculture in Africa. Frontiers in Genome Editing, 4.
Pilot trial using mass field-releases of sterile males produced with the incompatible and sterile insect techniques as part of integrated Aedes aegypti control in Mexico
Background
The combination of Wolbachia-based incompatible insect technique (IIT) and radiation-based sterile insect technique (SIT) can be used for population suppression of Aedes aegypti. Our main objective was to evaluate whether open-field mass-releases of wAlbB-infected Ae. aegypti males, as part of an Integrated Vector Management (IVM) plan led by the Mexican Ministry of Health, could suppress natural populations of Ae. aegypti in urbanized settings in south Mexico.
Martín-Park, A., Che-Mendoza, A., Contreras-Perera, Y., Pérez-Carrillo, S., Puerta-Guardo, H., Villegas-Chim, J., … & Manrique-Saide, P. (2022). Pilot trial using mass field-releases of sterile males produced with the incompatible and sterile insect techniques as part of integrated Aedes aegypti control in Mexico. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 16(4), e0010324.
Role of CRISPR Technology in Gene Editing of Emerging and Re-emerging Vector Borne Disease
Background
Vector borne diseases are rampant across the world. Due to spread and establishment of vector species in different geographical areas, vector adaptation and resistance towards many insecticides the only option left is vector control for various vector borne diseases. Recent advancement in the field of genome editing have provided a variety of tools like, CRISPR, a novel genome editing techniques which can be applied for the control and prevention of many deadly diseases like dengue, chikungunya, filariasis, Japanese encephalitis and Zika.
Mahto, K. K., Prasad, P., Kumar, M., Dubey, H., & Ranjan, A. (2022). Role of CRISPR Technology in Gene Editing of Emerging and Re-emerging Vector Borne Disease. In Mosquito Research-Recent Advances in Pathogen Interactions, Immunity, and Vector Control Strategies. IntechOpen.
Modelling homing suppression gene drive in haplodiploid organisms
Gene drives have shown great promise for suppression of pest populations. These engineered alleles can function by a variety of mechanisms, but the most common is the CRISPR homing drive, which converts wild-type alleles to drive alleles in the germline of heterozygotes. Some potential target species are haplodiploid, in which males develop from unfertilized eggs and thus have only one copy of each chromosome. This prevents drive conversion, a substantial disadvantage compared to diploids where drive conversion can take place in both sexes. Here, we study homing suppression gene drives in haplodiploids and find that a drive targeting a female fertility gene could still be successful.
Liu, Y., & Champer, J. (2022). Modelling homing suppression gene drive in haplodiploid organisms. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 289(1972), 20220320.