Pirbright Team to Investigate Potentially Safer Gene-Drive Techniques

An award of $2.66 million, provided through a project led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT), has been granted to scientists at The Pirbright Institute which is participating in MIT’s DARPA’s Safe Genes programme. This aims to gain a fundamental understanding of how gene editing technologies function, address potential health and security concerns relating to accidental or intentional misuse of the technology and determine how they can be used safely, responsibly and predictably for global benefit.

“Advances across biotechnology and bioscience are transforming our abilities to understand threats and challenges and creating new and innovative ways to address them. These advances will benefit all of us,” said Professor Melanie Welham, Chief Executive at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. “The UK’s Pirbright Institute has world leading expertise and is playing a key role in DARPA’s Safe Genes Programme, which strengthens international collaboration in order to deliver global benefits.”

Professor Luke Alphey, Group leader of Arthropod Genetics at Pirbright will lead research into applications of gene drive techniques in populations of mosquitoes in a bid to control vector-borne diseases such as Zika and dengue. The work will focus on disease-transmitting mosquitoes, primarily Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus, to build ‘Daisy-drive’ systems potentially able to suppress mosquito populations. Data from research in controlled lab populations will provide detailed risk assessments of any potential future use of ‘Daisy-drive’ genetically-engineered mosquitoes in the environment.

Professor Luke Alphey, Group leader of Arthropod Genetics at BBSRC-funded Pirbright said: “Mosquito control is central to the control of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and Zika, but the methods currently available have limited impact and sustainability. Genetic methods can greatly improve on this and field trials of the first such methods have been extremely promising. This funding gives us a real opportunity to develop new variants that are more cost-effective and sustainable as well as being safe, local and reversible.”