Mosquitoes may be common household pests, not to mention the cause of many a disease, particularly tropical diseases like dengue fever and malaria. And while the latter disease does have a conventional form of treatment in some parts of Africa, these medicines are often in short supply, if at all available. But what’s making things worse is the fact that the mosquitoes that bring malaria are becoming tougher and tougher, becoming more resistant to medication.
A group of researchers from the University of California in Irvine have come up with a way to genetically modify mosquitoes so that they wouldn’t be able to spread the malaria parasite. But these modified insects do more than that – they also pass on the trait of not being able to spread malaria to almost all of their offspring.
Lead researcher Anthony James and his team used the controversial CRISPR gene editing technique to insert two genes into the mosquito’s genome, making them malaria-resistant. And since there’s also a high rate of inheritability involved here, James says that the technique allows the resistance to spread fast through a mosquito population after it’s introduced.
James’ team introduced modified mouse immune genes, which stick to the malaria parasites and make it impossible for the parasites to recognize their host and for them to move around properly. “You can think of it as (being) blinded,” he said. As a result, the parasite cannot get into the animal’s salivary gland and, therefore, doesn’t make it into humans when the mosquitoes bite.
There are, however, some issues with James’ use of CRISPR. As the technique has been used to edit human embryos, drawing great controversy earlier this year, the researchers are trying their best not to ruffle any feathers, given the moral objections to gene editing. James also admitted that more research needs to be done to make sure that the technique is indeed a viable way of fighting malaria. Still, he remains confident that the technique’s benefits outweigh the risks, making it a very promising potential solution against a disease that is estimated to strike over 200 million people this year alone.