Gene drive system based on CRISPR-Cas9 in mosquito control

Abstract

Malaria, which is primarily transmitted by female mosquitoes, is increasing recognized as a global public health problem. Since the number of malaria cases remains high, with more than 200 million cases globally in 2019 alone, the development of new drugs and corresponding prevention and control measures are in urgent need. With the development of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in recent years, gene editing technology plays an increasingly significant role in mosquito control. A new generation of gene drive based on CRISPR/Cas9 has been applied into improving the heritability of specific genes in mosquito populations, which can be exploited to control mosquito and combat diseases transmitted by mosquito. However, this technology still faces challenges of ecological environment safety, ethical safety and technical effectiveness. This review introduces the current research status of gene drive systems for mosquito control using the CRISPR/Cas 9 system, and summarizes the current problems and solutions in this research field.