Find information here about the malaria research that the UCMI team has published.
This study examines how Anopheles coluzzii, a major malaria vector in West Africa, feeds and rests across the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. Researchers found many mosquitoes were resting outdoors and feeding on animals such as dogs and pigs rather than humans. These patterns may reflect the long-term impact of control efforts like bed nets and indoor spraying, highlighting the need for strategies that also target mosquitoes outside the home.
This paper highlights how long-term partnerships between researchers, government agencies, and local communities supported malaria research in São Tomé and Príncipe. By building trust and strong local collaboration, the team was able to carry out field studies of Anopheles coluzzii, a key malaria vector in West Africa. The study demonstrates how relationship-driven research can strengthen scientific programs and support malaria elimination efforts.
This review discusses population modification of Anopheline mosquitoes as a malaria control strategy. It covers transgenic anti‑parasite effector genes, gene‑drive mechanisms for rapid introgression, and frameworks for developing field‑ready strains, while highlighting safety, efficacy, and regulatory/social considerations in diverse transmission settings.
This paper outlines a scientific framework for choosing suitable field sites for trials of genetically engineered mosquitoes with CRISPR‑based gene drives. Using geographic, genetic, and ecological criteria, the authors evaluate 22 African islands and propose highly isolated physical islands as ideal sites to maximize success and minimize risk.
This paper proposes applying a relationship‑based model (RBM) for community and regulatory engagement during field trials of genetically engineered malaria vectors with gene drives. The RBM places stakeholders and community members at the centre of decision‑making to foster ethical, transparent, and effective dialogue, collaboration, and trust in planning and implementation.
This study describes the development of gene-drive mosquito strains designed to reduce malaria transmission. By combining two effector mechanisms in African malaria mosquitoes, the research explores how population modification strategies could improve the effectiveness and durability of genetic approaches aimed at controlling malaria.
This paper uses modelling to examine CRISPR/Cas9 gene‑drive strategies for malaria control, specifically comparing population modification versus suppression. Results indicate that modification strategies—introducing parasite‑refractory genes—are more resilient to naturally occurring and de novo gene drive resistance alleles, suggesting they may succeed where suppression drives fail due to resistance evolution.
Workshops conducted by the University of California Malaria Initiative identify potential risks associated with gene-drive modified mosquitoes. The findings outline key hazard pathways to inform future safety assessments and field trial planning.
This review summarizes rapid developments in CRISPR–Cas9 gene‑drive systems, focusing on mechanisms that bias inheritance, design features for suppression and modification drives, mitigation strategies like split‑drives and neutralizing elements, and expanding applications beyond mosquitoes — while acknowledging biological and ethical challenges.
Progress in gene drive mosquito development shows promise for malaria reduction, but key scientific and governance questions remain. Careful evaluation of risks and safeguards will be essential before real-world implementation.
This study surveys >1,200 genomes of Anopheles gambiae, An. coluzzii, and Aedes aegypti to identify CRISPR‑Cas9 target sites. Despite high genomic polymorphism, ~90% of protein‑coding genes contain at least one conserved site free of common resistance alleles, supporting gene‑drive design and editing strategies for vector control.
This paper presents MGDrivE, an open‑source simulation framework that models the spread and dynamics of gene‑drive systems through spatially explicit mosquito populations. It integrates genetic inheritance, mosquito life history, and landscape migration to explore a variety of drive architectures and outcomes in realistic metapopulation scenarios.
This study describes two active genetic elements, e‑CHACRs and ERACRs, that neutralize CRISPR/Cas9 gene drives. e‑CHACRs inactivate Cas9, halting drive spread, while ERACRs delete and replace the gene drive. Both systems can spread in populations and offer potential control mechanisms to stop or reverse the drive activity.
This study develops a recoded CRISPR/Cas9 gene‑drive rescue system in Anopheles stephensi that restores the function of the targeted kynurenine hydroxylase gene. The drive eliminates nonfunctional resistant alleles via maternal effects and negative selection, achieving >95% population modification in cage trials within 5–11 generations.
This experimental study uses small laboratory cage trials to compare non‑drive and CRISPR/Cas9 gene‑drive strains of Anopheles stephensi for simulated population modification. Gene‑drive releases, even at modest ratios, achieved high transgene prevalence faster than non‑drive methods, with some gene‑drive cages going extinct due to fitness loads and resistant alleles emerging.
This study examines how gene drive technology affects mosquito genetics used in malaria control. It focuses on how unintended genetic changes arise and are inherited across generations, providing important insights into the stability, safety, and long-term reliability of gene drive approaches for reducing malaria transmission.
This perspective highlights how two lines of research—gene‑drive inheritance bias via CRISPR/Cas9 and engineering antimalarial effector genes—are converging to create gene‑drive mosquitoes that spread “immunizing” traits through populations. These engineered traits aim to block disease transmission without reducing mosquito fitness, offering a potential replacement‑based malaria control strategy.
This report assesses insecticide resistance in malaria-carrying mosquitoes on São Tomé and Príncipe after two decades of control efforts. It highlights how resistance patterns have changed over time and discusses what these findings mean.
This study demonstrates a CRISPR/Cas9‑mediated gene‑drive system in the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi that copies a ~17 kb construct with dual antiparasite effector genes into its homologous chromosome via homology‑directed repair. The drive biases inheritance, introgressing the cargo into ~99.5% of progeny, offering proof of concept for population modification strategies.
This study created transgenic Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes that express single‑chain antibodies (scFvs) targeting Plasmodium falciparum. These engineered mosquitoes showed significantly lower parasite infection levels compared with controls, demonstrating potential for population replacement strategies to reduce malaria transmission.
This study engineered Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes to co‑express dual single‑chain antibodies targeting Plasmodium falciparum ookinete and sporozoite stages. Transgenic lines exhibited few or no infective sporozoites after P. falciparum challenge, with minimal fitness cost, supporting their development for transmission‑blocking strategies.
Our latest publication looks at the aquatic environments where malaria mosquito vectors develop on the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe.
Early risk assessments examine genetically engineered mosquitoes designed to reduce malaria transmission. The analysis highlights potential effects on disease dynamics, non-target organisms, and ecosystems to help inform safety evaluations and regulatory decisions before field use.
Development of gene drive mosquitoes for malaria control has slowed as regulatory
pathways for small scale field trials remain unclear. Advancing the science will require clearer guidance, coordinated oversight, and sustained support to move from laboratory research to real world evaluation.
This study explores how malaria-carrying mosquitoes move and exchange genetic material between populations on two African oceanic islands. By analysing gene flow patterns, the research provides insights into mosquito population structure and connectivity, which are important for planning effective and targeted malaria control strategies.
This study investigates how CRISPR/Cas9 gene drives in Anopheles gambiae produce maternal-effect and resistant alleles. Maternal deposition of Cas9 and guide RNAs in eggs generates target-site resistance via nonhomologous end-joining. Mosaic and resistant alleles can persist without major fitness costs, which may affect gene-drive efficiency in mosquito population control.
This study uses complete mitochondrial genomes to investigate the history and isolation of Anopheles coluzzii populations on the central African islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. Findings indicate at most two introductions to São Tomé from mainland West Africa around 500 years ago, and limited to no contemporary gene flow from the mainland.
This whole‑genome study examines Anopheles coluzzii from mainland West and Central Africa and the Gulf of Guinea islands. Analyses reveal distinct genetic clusters, evidence of isolated island populations with reduced diversity and historical founder effects, and varying connectivity with mainland groups—insights important for malaria vector control and field trial planning.
Links to malaria related reports and publications from international partners, organizations, and the malaria research community.
The 2024 World Malaria Report reviews progress and gaps in controlling malaria across 83 endemic countries. It shows that while billions of cases and deaths have been averted since 2000 and elimination continues in some areas, global cases and deaths remain high, with inequities in access to prevention, treatment, and vulnerable populations disproportionately affected.
The National Academies report surveys gene-drive science and applications, outlining knowledge gaps, ecological and ethical uncertainty, and governance needs. It recommends phased research, ecological risk assessment, robust public engagement, and policies guiding responsible development and potential controlled field trials of gene-drive modified organisms.
A multidisciplinary working group proposes a development pathway for gene-drive mosquitoes targeting Anopheles gambiae to reduce malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Recommendations emphasize phased testing from laboratory containment to field trials, rigorous safety and efficacy criteria, regulatory and ethical approval, community engagement, and coordination to ensure responsible, incremental deployment.
The WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030 guides countries to reduce malaria incidence and mortality by ≥90%, eliminate malaria in ≥35 countries and prevent re-establishment by 2030. It emphasizes universal intervention coverage, tailored strategies, strong surveillance, equity and innovation in tools and programming.
WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group on Malaria Eradication assesses global eradication potential, finding that although eradication would save millions and have economic benefits, current tools and coverage are insufficient. The report urges enhanced research, financing, surveillance, universal health access, and community engagement to move closer to eradication.
This article reviews recommendations from expert workshops on defining efficacy and safety benchmarks for advancing gene-drive modified mosquitoes to field testing. It proposes criteria for preferred product characteristics, including entomological and epidemiological efficacy, durability, resistance monitoring, and biosafety parameters, to support decisions about initial field releases.
This AUDA-NEPAD position paper outlines the need to build and harmonize regulatory systems across African Union Member States to safely conduct responsible malaria research, including emerging tools like genetically modified vectors. It emphasises biosafety frameworks, policy alignment, and regulator training to support evidence-based decision-making and malaria elimination efforts.
This WHO position statement outlines principles for assessing genetically modified mosquitoes for vector control. It covers phased testing, risk assessment, ethical considerations, and regulatory oversight, providing guidance to ensure safety, effectiveness, and responsible decision-making before large-scale deployment.
This updated WHO guidance provides a structured framework for testing genetically modified mosquitoes, from laboratory studies to field trials. It emphasizes stepwise evaluation, environmental and health risk assessment, regulatory engagement, and community involvement to support safe and transparent development.
This report summarizes outcomes from an expert workshop on achieving community agreement for gene drive research in Africa. It highlights ethical engagement practices, stakeholder inclusion, transparency, and trust-building as essential components for responsible research and future field trials.
This study demonstrates the use of allelic-drive systems to reverse insecticide resistance in Drosophila melanogaster. The findings provide proof-of-concept evidence that gene-drive approaches could restore susceptibility in resistant insect populations, informing future vector control strategies.
This research investigates spatial and temporal patterns of Cas9 germline transcript expression in gene-drive Anopheles mosquitoes. The study improves understanding of gene-drive efficiency, resistance formation, and inheritance dynamics, supporting optimization of gene-drive design.
This CSIRO hazard analysis evaluates potential environmental and health risks associated with the UCMI genetically modified mosquito. It assesses exposure pathways, ecological impacts, and mitigation measures to inform regulatory review and ensure safe research and deployment decisions.
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