Mosquitos are the primary carriers of the plasmodium parasite-- the source of the malaria disease. West Africa is notable for being a hotspot of malaria cases. A recently developed technology known as a "gene drive" has been considered to be a potential method of suppressing transmission of malaria, utilizing the natural process of a species' own inheritance as predicted by Mendelian genetics to control populations by altering the expression of genes related to disease transmission. In the last decade, advances in CRISPR technology have progressed gene drive research greatly. Though field trials have not yet been done, simulations and models can help predict how they might affect real populations. In the figure below, the effect of gene drive releases on west Africa's mosquito population shows that they are predicted to decrease in density over time, reducing the spread of malaria in the process. Of course, in real application of this technology, there are many more factors that will determine its effectiveness. However, these simulations show promise in this newly emerging phenomenon that may help combat against malaria.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-53065-z#Bib1
https://www.who.int/teams/global-malaria-programme/reports/world-malaria-report-2023
The only thing I am curious about is how this "gene drive" technology works. Is this an injection to certain mosquitos that are captured? Is this a mist or a spray to be used? The idea sounds amazing and potentially impactful, but as you explained there could be other factors that effect this. I think the major ones would be related to the method of which this new technology is used and possibly gene mutations down the line.
ReplyDelete