Dual effector population modification gene-drive strains of the African malaria mosquitoes, Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii
Background
Novel genetic strategies for the malaria eradication agenda exploit Cas9/gRNA (guide RNA)-based autonomous gene-drive systems carrying antiparasite effector genes, and these effectively reduce prevalence and numbers of the human parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, in the African malaria mosquitoes, Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii. Results from laboratory assessments of population gene-drive dynamics, transgene genetic loads, and parasite suppression efficacy informed modeling of conceptual field releases that show that hypothetical strains based on the empirical data could have a meaningful epidemiological impact in reducing human incidence by 50 to 90%.
Carballar-Lejarazú, R., Dong, Y., Pham, T. B., Tushar, T., Corder, R. M., Mondal, A., … & James, A. A. (2023). Dual effector population modification gene-drive strains of the African malaria mosquitoes, Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(29), e2221118120.