Oxitec, a British biotechnology company, produced genetically engineered mosquitoes with a terminator gene that inhibits cell growth except in the presence of the antibiotic, tetracycline. The...
Oxitec, a British biotechnology company, produced genetically engineered mosquitoes with a terminator gene that inhibits cell growth except in the presence of the antibiotic, tetracycline. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested in this technology as a potential means of reduction in exposures to malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue, yellow fever, and Zika.
The theory was that lab-bred mosquitoes with a terminator gene could be released to mate with the wild mosquito population, spreading the occurrence of a gene that would decrease the numbers of viable offspring in the wild.
Testing began in Brazil in 2015, amid substantial concerns about safety and effectiveness.
While this technology would be a breakthrough in pesticide-free mosquito control, there's now some evidence that it's not working as planned.
The environmental impact of the persistence of the modified genes in wild mosquitoes is unknown, but hopefully minimal. It's possible that in the long term, it may make gene-carrying Aedes aegypti less competitive with other mosquitoes that don't carry disease.
On the other hand, there are significant ethical and environmental questions raised by research of this nature - not to mention patents, intellectual property, and other concerns. Othergenetic alterations in mosquitoes are being tested now, including "gene drive" modifications that could cause the affected species to become extinct. Mosquitoes are pollinators and the principal food for many insectivorous species, which leaves open questions about impacts on ecological webs.
While there's considerable international consensus that genetically engineering mosquitoes is a responsible ethical practice on the basis of human lives spared, suffering reduced, and environmental damage from pesticides averted, we need to ensure responsible controls now to avoid more dangerous interventions that might not fail so inconsequentially.
That news is a couple of years old. I was in Key West the last time a dengue fever case was reported there, and local sentiment was running 50/50 for/against releasing modified tiger mosquitoes....
That news is a couple of years old. I was in Key West the last time a dengue fever case was reported there, and local sentiment was running 50/50 for/against releasing modified tiger mosquitoes. Dengue fears were already having an impact on the tourist traffic, but some locals really didn't want to have genetically modified "Frankenflies". At the same time, many residents didn't want pesticide spraying, either.
The original story is a couple years old, but they withdrew the V1 application and that story is about V2 mosquitoes. Pub date on that one is 9/11/2019. I had friends there on both sides of that...
The original story is a couple years old, but they withdrew the V1 application and that story is about V2 mosquitoes. Pub date on that one is 9/11/2019.
I had friends there on both sides of that argument. It’s a complex issue.
The new piece of information in this story is that Oxitech is claiming the study is erroneous. I'll be following closely, but haven't been able to locate the paper yet to assess the magnitude of...
The new piece of information in this story is that Oxitech is claiming the study is erroneous. I'll be following closely, but haven't been able to locate the paper yet to assess the magnitude of the survival effect. The Scientist's story describes the researchers' claim that they're seeing a 10 - 60% persistence of the synthetic OX513A gene lineage in successive generations.
I never said, or implied, that your post is a duplicate - only that there has been another recent post about the same subject matter which people might like reading if they're interested in this...
I never said, or implied, that your post is a duplicate - only that there has been another recent post about the same subject matter which people might like reading if they're interested in this story.
And, it's not really a surprise that the company being accused of making this mistake is defending its actions. :)
I found Oxitec's statement challenging the original report. I note that Oxitec is not disputing the core claim that mosquitoes with their supposed infertility gene are breeding. There are other...
I found Oxitec's statement challenging the original report. I note that Oxitec is not disputing the core claim that mosquitoes with their supposed infertility gene are breeding. There are other statements in the report, about hybrid vigour and whether the transgenic mosquitoes are better carriers of disease, which Oxitec is challenging. But they're not challenging the fact that their mosquitoes which shouldn't be able to breed much have been breeding in higher numbers than expected.
Oxitec, a British biotechnology company, produced genetically engineered mosquitoes with a terminator gene that inhibits cell growth except in the presence of the antibiotic, tetracycline. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested in this technology as a potential means of reduction in exposures to malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue, yellow fever, and Zika.
The theory was that lab-bred mosquitoes with a terminator gene could be released to mate with the wild mosquito population, spreading the occurrence of a gene that would decrease the numbers of viable offspring in the wild.
Testing began in Brazil in 2015, amid substantial concerns about safety and effectiveness.
While this technology would be a breakthrough in pesticide-free mosquito control, there's now some evidence that it's not working as planned.
The environmental impact of the persistence of the modified genes in wild mosquitoes is unknown, but hopefully minimal. It's possible that in the long term, it may make gene-carrying Aedes aegypti less competitive with other mosquitoes that don't carry disease.
On the other hand, there are significant ethical and environmental questions raised by research of this nature - not to mention patents, intellectual property, and other concerns. Other genetic alterations in mosquitoes are being tested now, including "gene drive" modifications that could cause the affected species to become extinct. Mosquitoes are pollinators and the principal food for many insectivorous species, which leaves open questions about impacts on ecological webs.
While there's considerable international consensus that genetically engineering mosquitoes is a responsible ethical practice on the basis of human lives spared, suffering reduced, and environmental damage from pesticides averted, we need to ensure responsible controls now to avoid more dangerous interventions that might not fail so inconsequentially.
They have been trying to release in the Florida Keys as well.
https://keysweekly.com/42/oxitec-reveals-new-technology-up-for-epa-consideration/
That news is a couple of years old. I was in Key West the last time a dengue fever case was reported there, and local sentiment was running 50/50 for/against releasing modified tiger mosquitoes. Dengue fears were already having an impact on the tourist traffic, but some locals really didn't want to have genetically modified "Frankenflies". At the same time, many residents didn't want pesticide spraying, either.
The original story is a couple years old, but they withdrew the V1 application and that story is about V2 mosquitoes. Pub date on that one is 9/11/2019.
I had friends there on both sides of that argument. It’s a complex issue.
People reading this topic might also be interested in this previous discussion: Genetically modified mosquitoes breed in Brazil
The new piece of information in this story is that Oxitech is claiming the study is erroneous. I'll be following closely, but haven't been able to locate the paper yet to assess the magnitude of the survival effect. The Scientist's story describes the researchers' claim that they're seeing a 10 - 60% persistence of the synthetic OX513A gene lineage in successive generations.
I never said, or implied, that your post is a duplicate - only that there has been another recent post about the same subject matter which people might like reading if they're interested in this story.
And, it's not really a surprise that the company being accused of making this mistake is defending its actions. :)
I found Oxitec's statement challenging the original report. I note that Oxitec is not disputing the core claim that mosquitoes with their supposed infertility gene are breeding. There are other statements in the report, about hybrid vigour and whether the transgenic mosquitoes are better carriers of disease, which Oxitec is challenging. But they're not challenging the fact that their mosquitoes which shouldn't be able to breed much have been breeding in higher numbers than expected.