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How to make genetically modified mosquitoes

A team of scientists are altering their DNA to fight dengue fever and Zika virus

January 21, 2016 2:00PM ET

by Lauren Ellis @lauren_jellis

Aedus aegypti is the ultimate pest. The small, dark mosquito transmits deadly viruses like dengue fever, chikungunya, and the latest illness sweeping through Brazil, the Zika virus. You'll want to watch out for the female aedus aegypti (males don’t bite).

Aedus aegypti eggs are the "iron men" of the insect world. They can last up to a year -- without water. And they can travel -- hitchhiking a ride on planes, trains, and automobiles. That’s exactly how these insects have infested global populations.

Currently, there is no vaccine or treatment for either Zika or dengue. The only way to fight the spread of the disease is to limit the insect population. What if the most viable solution to halt the spread of viral pathogens came from a genetically modified organism?

Enter British biotechnology company Oxitec. Using molecular biology and genetic engineering techniques, scientists at Oxitec have developed a method to limit male mosquitos by inserting a gene that interferes with reproduction and causes death to its offspring. The hope is that if the deadly male mates with wild females, the population will thin. It’s the ultimate kill switch.

On this week’s episode of TechKnow, the team travels to London to visit Oxitec’s headquarters, witnessing first hand how a genetically modified mosquito is engineered in the lab.

Under the microscope, scientists will take the mosquito eggs and micro inject the OX513A gene. A small needle will pierce the outside of the egg without causing any lasting damage, allowing the male mosquitoes to hatch and carry the kill-switch gene.

The OX513A (self limiting gene) will produce a protein called tTav. The tTav gene will suppress the cell’s transcriptional machinery, so normal genes are not expressed.

Once a male carrying the deadly gene mates with a female, the offspring will die off.

At Oxitec's sorting room researchers separate the males and females by hand.

Phil and Oxitec's product development manager Derric Nimmo head to the rearing room next. There are 16,000 mosquitoes getting to business here.

To feed the mosquitoes, Oxitec scientists put blood on a plate, then a heating pad on top. The heat attracts the mosquitoes to the plate and they begin to feed.