Results from the Workshop "Problem Formulation for the Use of Gene Drive in Mosquitoes"

• Published in: The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene Vol. 96; no. 3; pp. 530 - 533
• Main Authors: Roberts, Andrew, Andrade, Paulo Paes de, Okumu, Fredros, Quemada, Hector, Savadogo, Moussa, Singh, Jerome Amir, James, Stephanie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 01-01-2017
• Subjects: Africa - epidemiology; Animals; Anopheles - drug effects; Anopheles - genetics; Anopheles gambiae; Biodiversity; Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats - genetics; Congresses as Topic; CRISPR-Cas Systems - genetics; Humans; Incidence; Insect Vectors - genetics; Insecticides - pharmacology; Malaria - epidemiology; Malaria - prevention & control; Malaria - transmission; Mosquito Control - methods; Pieces; Public Health; Research Design; Risk Assessment; Africa
• ISSN: 0002-9637; 1476-1645
• DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0726

Reducing the incidence of malaria has been a public health priority for nearly a century. New technologies and associated vector control strategies play an important role in the prospect of sustained reductions. The development of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system has generated new possibilities for the use of gene-drive constructs to reduce or alter vector populations to reduce malaria incidence. However, before these technologies can be developed and exploited, it will be necessary to understand and assess the likelihood of any potential harms to humans or the environment. To begin this process, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and the International Life Sciences Institute Research Foundation organized an expert workshop to consider the potential risks related to the use of gene drives in
for malaria control in Africa. The resulting discussion yielded a series of consensus points that are reported here.