African scientist develops ‘gene drive tech’ that could wipe out malaria from continent
Malaria
An African scientist is working on a ‘gene drive technology’ that could potentially wipe out malaria or malaria-causing mosquitoes from the continent.
Abdoulaye Diabate, who was awarded the 2023 Falling Walls Prize for Science and Innovation Management for his research, is developing an innovative technique that can wipe out malaria-causing female mosquitoes by altering their genes.
What’s the technique?
Malaria is generally transmitted through the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes, as male mosquitoes do not bite.
Under gene drive technology, female mosquitoes are prevented from producing new female offspring by releasing genetically modified male mosquitoes in the environment.
This would lead to the depletion of female mosquitoes, thus bringing down malaria causes throughout the continent.
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“When the (gene-edited) mosquitoes are released in the field … they will spread across the entire mosquito population and cut malaria transmission right away,” the scientist from Burkina Faso was quoted as saying by CNN.
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“The genetically modified mosquitoes are the ones to do the job for you … unlike the other (malaria control) interventions where humans run from place to place to deliver,” he added.
He also said that the method was more sustainable as well as budget-friendly.
However, Abdoulaye Diabate said that the technology could still take many more years to be ready for rolling out.
Africa’s malaria problem
Africa shoulders the world’s largest malaria burden, with the continent constituting 96 per cent of the total 619,000 deaths worldwide in 2021.
According to the WHO’s latest data, of those 96 per cent, 80 per cent of deaths occurred in children aged under five.
According to Diabate, developing innovative malaria-controlling tools was the only way to deal with this menace.
“Although bed nets are doing a fantastic job … we now have widespread insecticide resistance in the different species of mosquitoes, specifically those that are transmitting malaria,” he was quoted as saying.
Concerns
Despite the technology being touted as the promising one, health authorities around the world have pointed out ecological concerns that may emerge.
Some advocacy groups are vehemently opposing the technology, saying its impact on the ecosystem may never be predicted.
“Every living creature, even if it appears dangerous or harmful to humans, fulfills important tasks in its habitat. The extermination or even manipulation of a species will therefore have consequences for the entire ecosystem,” warned German-based advocacy group Save Our Seeds (SOS) on its website.
(With inputs from agencies)