CRISPR-BASED TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENGINEERING MOSQUITO POPULATIONS AND BEYOND

Víctor López Del Amo
UTHealth Science Center Houston – School of Public Health – Department of Epidemiology (Center for Infectious Diseases)
Mayo 30 – 12:00h
Salón Forteza, CIPF

Abstract: Even with extensive efforts to curb its spread, mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria or dengue affect millions of people and cause over 800,000 deaths a year. Though the emergence of CRISPR-based technologies provides promising new tools for controlling these insect pests. One approach, such as CRISPR gene-drive systems, allows biasing Mendelian inheritance rates while propagating genes of interest into a target community for engineering wild populations. A second strategy called precise genetic sterile insect technique (pgSIT) permits the generation of sterile males via a genetic cross for mass release. While gene drives and pgSIT technologies employ the Cas9 nuclease, other nucleases such as the temperature-sensitive Cas12a have not been explored for insect control. Here, we present Cas12a-based next-generation gene drives and pgSIT technologies, bringing new opportunities for vector control while overcoming current issues imposed by the Cas9 nuclease.