Scientists Tricked Mosquitoes Into Delivering Malaria Vaccines To People They Bite

While most people would agree that mosquitoes only bring death and disease to humanity, scientists have managed to use the deadly insect to deliver vaccines. A trial to deliver vaccines to people via mosquitoes was underway in United Kingdom, findings published in Science Translational Medicine revealed.

The paper claims that scientists genetically modified parasites to deliver malaria vaccines through mosquito bites. No, this is not a joke. If you've always associated mosquitoes with illness and itching, this might change your understanding of the insects.

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Using mosquitoes as vaccine delivery

While the trial images and propositions sound preposterous, such methods may be extremely useful in places where diseases are rampant and vaccines not widely available.

It appears that the participants were bit by mosquitoes hundreds of times. To get the desired effect, scientists loaded mosquitoes with genetically modified parasites known as Plasmodium falciparum.

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While scientists have tried to do the same in the past, this marks the first time that CRISPR has been used to turn mosquitoes into a vaccine delivery service. In conversation with NPR, scientists described these mosquitoes as 1,000 small flying syringes.

Also read: Mosquitoes Sniff Out Humans Even Without Smell Receptors, Finds Study

Pictures from the report show a participant's arm covered completely in welts from mosquito bites. The only issue with this method, scientists say, is the effectiveness of such vaccines.

The study's results paint a mixed picture. 14 of 26 participants that were exposed to malaria ended up catching it. This implies that the system is about 50% effective.

Is it a complete failure? No! With some improvements in the method, scientists could achieve a lot. And scientists don't want to deploy an army of vaccine-carrying mosquitoes. Instead, they want to use the mosquitoes to deliver vaccines in a more controlled way.

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Also read: What If We Used Mosquitoes To Vaccinate People? Japan Actually Did

For starters, releasing an army of mosquitoes would come with questions about medical consent and ethics. People who get bit by the mosquito would may or may not have consented to being inoculated. Regardless, it's still a fantastic proposition to turn the tide against malaria and using mosquitoes as vaccine carriers.

What do you think about the potential of mosquitoes? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Hawkins, J. (2022, October 2). Scientists tricked mosquitoes into delivering vaccines to humans. BGR. Retrieved October 3, 2022, from https://bgr.com/science/scientists-tricked-mosquitoes-into-delivering-vaccines-to-humans/

Barnhart, M. (2022, September 21). A box of 200 mosquitoes did the vaccinating in this malaria trial. That¡¯s not a joke! NPR.org. Retrieved October 3, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/09/21/1112727841/a-box-of-200-mosquitoes-did-the-vaccinating-in-this-malaria-trial-thats-not-a-jo