Researchers have completed the first open-air study of genetically engineered mosquitoes in the United States
Biotechnology firm Oxitec ran the first open-air test of genetically modified mosquitoes in the United States by placing boxes of its eggs in selected spots in the Florida Keys.. The results, according to the biotechnology firm running the experiment, are positive. But larger tests are still needed to determine whether the insects can achieve the ultimate goal of suppressing a wild population of potentially virus-carrying mosquitoes.
Oxitec researchers collected more than 22,000 eggs from the traps and brought them back to their laboratory to hatch under observation. The firm reported that all females that inherited the lethal gene died before reaching adulthood. Furthermore, the team found that the lethal gene persisted in the wild population for two to three months, or about three generations of mosquito offspring, and then disappeared.
The pilot study was not intended to determine how well the method suppresses the wild population. Oxitec plans to gather that data in an extension of the Florida Keys study. It first needs approval from state regulators, but hopes to begin soon. The company plans to release mosquitoes at a second study site in Visalia, California, where it is building a research and development facility.