Genome Modified Mosquito Is Resistant To Malaria

Taking the battle against malaria to the vector mosquito that carries it, researchers have created a mosquito that is resistant to disease causing parasite.

Researchers at UC Irvine and UC San Diego inserted a stretch of DNA into the Anopheles stephensi mosquito that enabled the mosquito to produce antibodies to the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The success of their methods lies in the mosquito's ability to pass down the resistance to its offspring, reports TIME.

The parasite causes around 500 million cases of malaria every year and nearly one million deaths with most number of causalities in Africa.

Researchers used a novel germ-line gene editing technique called Crispr method that allows them to splice at just about any location.

"This is a significant first step. We know the gene works. The mosquitoes we created are not the final brand, but we know this technology allows us to efficiently create large populations," said Anthony James, at UC Irvine.

By being able to modify the germ-line and facilitate transmission of resistance to the offspring, researchers have done away with the need for frequent intervention. To determine if the gene-editing was successful, researchers induced a trait of florescence in the eyes. Nearly 99.5 percent of the offspring exhibited this trait indicating that the method has been highly successful.