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Scientists target\u00a0mainly the malaria-transmitting Anopheles gambiae species.<\/p>\nScientists target\u00a0mainly the malaria-transmitting Anopheles gambiae species.<\/p>\n
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\nAs Africa continues to shoulder the
\nglobal burden of malaria, scientists and policy experts say gene drive
\ntechnology could offer a groundbreaking solution.<\/p>\n
But without clear regulatory
\nframeworks and strong community engagement, its deployment could be delayed, risking
\nfurther loss of life and economic productivity.<\/p>\n
During the Evidence for Development
\n(EVI4DEV) Conference in Nairobi, hosted by the African Union Development Agency
\n(AUDA-NEPAD), the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA), and the African
\nInstitute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), experts called for urgent policy
\nharmonisation and public dialogue to enable the safe rollout of gene drive
\ntechnology.<\/p>\n
\u201cMalaria is an African problem, we
\nneed to find our own tools to address malaria problems,\u201d said Dr Barbara Glover
\nfrom AUDA-NEPAD, South Africa. \u201cAfrica should be able to innovate new
\ntechnologies and solutions for African problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gene drive technology targets
\nmalaria-transmitting mosquitoes by altering their genetic makeup, specifically
\nthe Anopheles gambiae species, to pass on traits such as infertility, reducing
\nmosquito populations over time. The approach, being developed under the Target
\nMalaria consortium, has shown promise in laboratory settings but has not yet
\nbeen tested in the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cGene drives systems promote the
\nbiased inheritance of specific genes from one generation to the next,\u201d
\nexplained Dr Wiltshire Johnson of Auda-Nepad. \u201cGene drive is deployed when a
\ncausal pathway initiated by release of a gene drive system in target mosquito
\nvector species, leading to its transmission to subsequent generations, its
\nincrease in frequency and spread in target mosquito populations, its
\nsimultaneous propagation of a linked genetic trait aimed at reducing vectorial
\ncapacity of plasmodium and reduced vectorial capacity for parasites in target
\nmosquito populations resulting in decreased malaria incidence and prevalence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson emphasised the urgency of
\nadopting innovative tools amid increasing resistance to existing malaria
\ninterventions such as insecticides and drug treatments.<\/p>\n
\u201cMalaria still kills 600,000 people,
\ncauses reduction of 25 percent GDP in Africa countries,\u201d he said. \u201cEven with
\nexisting traditional Malaria control tools starting to fail or are showing
\nsigns of failure… the deployment and use of gene drive technology will help
\nin solving the malaria problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the 2023 World Malaria
\nReport, Africa accounted for 94 per cent of global malaria cases and 95 per cent
\nof deaths, with a child dying of malaria every minute.<\/p>\n
Still, despite promising research and
\nmathematical models indicating potential efficacy, expert\u2019s stress that gene
\ndrive must move forward carefully, with phased releases and strong safeguards.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are using malaria and mosquitoes
\nas a pathfinder vector that will be used in future in all vector borne diseases
\nif the technology deployment will be successful,\u201d said Johnson.<\/p>\n
Yet regulatory gaps remain a
\nsignificant obstacle. Many African countries lack specific policies or legal
\nmechanisms for approving and monitoring gene drive technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must ensure that Africa has a
\nregulatory system for development and deployment of novel and new tools such as
\ngene drive malaria,\u201d said Dr Gansane Adama of Burkina Faso\u2019s Institut National
\nde Sant\u00e9 Publique (INSP). \u201cIf there is evidence to show efficacy and safety of
\nmalaria gene drive there will be social acceptance of the technology, there is
\na need to engage communities in the core development of the technology.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other experts echoed the importance of
\nunified policies across borders. Gene drive organisms, once released, are
\nlikely to spread beyond a single country\u2014making regional cooperation essential.<\/p>\n
\u201cMalaria gene drive is a GMO that will
\nnot be confined to one region because they move,\u201d said Dr Charles Mugoya,
\nregulation lead for Target Malaria in Uganda. \u201cLack of regional operational
\nmechanism can be a big risk to deployment. All the countries have to build
\nconsensus and mechanism to embrace the technology.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cThere should be uniformed
\nbio-safety and biotechnology collaborations through information and data
\nsharing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musa Kwenhangana, environment
\nregulator at Auda-Nepad, South Africa, said that environmental risk assessments
\nshould guide deployment decisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany African countries have the
\ncapacity to do environmental risk assessment and evaluation of risks. Countries
\nmust make decisions based on science,\u201d he said. \u201cThere should be clarity on
\nprotection goals according to environmental risk assessment.\u201d<\/p>\n
To address these concerns, Auda-Nepad
\nis currently working to build a continent-wide regulatory framework that aligns
\nwith both national laws and global standards such as the Cartagena Protocol on
\nBiosafety and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.<\/p>\n
\u201cAuda-Nepad is building a regulatory
\nframework for countries. There are established global, continental and national
\nrequirements to evaluate the safety of the regulatory standards,\u201d said Dr.
\nWiltshire Johnson. \u201cWe will capacity build regulators to ensure that they have
\nregulatory policies, systems and technical support to enable countries to
\ndeploy the technology.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cThe work on gene drive
\nregulation started a decade ago but within the next three years African Union
\nwould have developed regulatory framework for countries.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Mugoya concluded that successful
\nadoption of the technology depends on scientific rigor, sound regulation, and
\npublic trust.<\/p>\n
\u201cSound science is a strong pillar to
\ngenerate the technology that will work, by proper framing of the problem,
\nproper hypothesis of the research that you are going to do and proper analysis
\nof data and proper preparation of methodology and well-coordinated streamlined
\nand analysis of collection of data.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the malaria burden still heavily
\nconcentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, experts agree that now is the time for
\nAfrica to lead in developing and deploying new tools.<\/p>\n
Dr Johnson noted, \u201cThis is not just
\nabout malaria. It\u2019s about building Africa\u2019s future resilience to all vector-borne
\ndiseases. We\u2019re using malaria as a pathfinder.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scientists target\u00a0mainly the malaria-transmitting Anopheles gambiae species.
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