The researchers have not only managed to produce mosquitoes from spreading malaria to humans. They have also managed to produce resistant genes are inherited to 99.5 percent of the offspring.
The idea is that the GM mosquitoes will eventually be released and procreate with the “wild” mosquitoes to create a tribe not spreading the dangerous disease.
– It can spread through a population with high efficiency, and increase from 99 per cent in ten generations, ie around one season for mosquitoes, says biologist Valentino Gantz at the University of California told Reuters on genetic modification.
Research colleague and molecular biologist Anthony James points out that this strategy alone can not eradicate malaria. It can, however, play a major role, combined with treatment and preventive medicines, future vaccines, mosquito nets and spraying hatching areas.
Researchers in California insists that their method does less damage to the entire ecosystem, compared with genomics as aims to eradicate the entire mosquito strains.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that this year 438,000 people die from malaria.
Read more in the abstract:
Valentino Gantz others. Highly efficient Cas9-mediated gene Drive for population modification of the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles stephensi. PNAS, published online 23 November 2015. Doi: 10.1073 / pnas.1521077112
Related Materials
One step closer virus-free pig organs in humans
Expert Discussion on genmodifieringsverktyg
Back to Infection
Share:
No comments:
Post a Comment