A biotech firm funded by Bill Gates has released 150,000 genetically modified mosquitoes in the US to curb mosquito breeding and gain control over the spreading of diseases like dengue and malaria.
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Oxitec, a firm based in Abingdon, UK has already tested these mosquitoes in Brazil, Malaysia, Panama and the Cayman Islands but hadn¡¯t received regulatory approval for the US, but it has finally received it now.?
The mosquito species in question is the Aedes aegypti that comprise four percent of the mosquito population in the Keys -- a chain of tropical islands in the southernmost tip of Florida. However, these are responsible for all mosquito-borne disease in the region.?
According to the study, researchers have bioengineered male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to mate with the wild female population (females are known to bite their prey and cause dengue/malaria). The genetically engineered males carry a gene that passes to their offspring and kills female progeny in early larval stages.?
The male child won¡¯t die but they¡¯ll continue to possess the gene that will pass on to future generations. With the death of female mosquitoes, the Aedes aegypti population is expected to drop considerably.
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The first batch of males is expected to emerge during the first two weeks of May. Around 12,000 males will be released from the boxes each week over the next 12 weeks. In a second phase scheduled for later this year, Oxitec expects nearly 20 million mosquitoes to emerge over a period of about 16 weeks.
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To monitor the progress of the trial, researchers will make use of capture devices to trap mosquitoes for the study. Researchers have also added a fluorescent marker gene in the mosquitoes that make them glow when exposed to a particular colour of light.?
Oxitec plans to present the results to the US Environmental Protection Agency -- the agency that permitted this trial. This data will help EPA understand if Oxitech¡¯s approach can be extended to other mosquito-prone areas of the nation.?