Scientists Genetically Edit Mosquitoes That Transmit Deadly Diseases

Scientists may have discovered a way to genetically "edit" a mosquito, which may help keep it from spreading the deadly diseases chikungunya, yellow fever and dengue fever. The new technique could be huge in eventually preventing the spread of these diseases.

The new method is known as CRISPR-Cas9 editing.  The researchers adapted the CRISPR-Cas9 system to the mosquito and were able to generate targeted mutations and insertions in a number of genes.

But why genetically alter the mosquito in the first place? The main reason for this study was to understand how the female mosquito actually transmits disease. In order to do so, the scientists needed to learn how she finds humans to bit, and how she chooses a source of water to lay her eggs.

"This amazing technique has worked in nearly every organism that's been tried," said Leslie Vosshall, one of the researchers, in a news release. "There are lots of interesting animal species out there that could not be studied using genetics prior to CRISPR-Cas9, and as a result this technique is already revolutionizing biology."

This latest work opens the door to learning more about the role of specific genes that may help mosquitoes propagate. This could help researchers develop new techniques for culling disease-ridden mosquitoes.

"Before starting this project, we thought it would be difficult to modify many genes in the mosquito genome in a lab setting," said Benjamin Matthews, one of the researchers. "With a little tweaking, we were able to make this technique routine and it's only going to get easier, faster and cheaper from here on out."

The findings are published in the journal Cell Reports.

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