CRISPR technologies for the control and study of malaria-transmitting anopheline mosquitoes.
Andrea L Smidler, Omar S Akbari
Parasites & vectors · 2025-Jul-03 · PMID 40611351 · DOI 10.1186/s13071-025-06905-wAbstract
Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases on the planet, killing approximately 600,000 people annually, and is transmitted by the bite of an anopheline mosquito. Anophelines, and the diseases they transmit, have changed the course of history and the fate of nations, and their successful control promises to end the transmission of malaria. With the advent of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) technologies, the study and control of these deadly pests have been revolutionized. As the release of genetically modified anophelines is being considered, here we outline the advances in CRISPR/Cas9 technologies and how they have revolutionized the study of anopheline basic biology and the development of innovative vector control strategies. We outline the major findings of CRISPR-based basic biological research into traits relevant for vector control including, but not limited to, olfaction, chemosensation, neurobiology, and reproduction. Further, we summarize the advancements in CRISPR-based innovative vector control strategies, such as the precision-guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT), inherited female elimination by genetically encoded nucleases to interrupt alleles (IFEGENIA), X-shredder, Y-linked editors, and gene drives. All in all, this review summarizes the basic biological and vector control research undertaken using CRISPR since its advent approximately a decade ago.
Evidence profile
- Study type
- review
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- published
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- Conflict statement
- Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. The authors consent to the publication of this work. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare competing interests. ALS co-holds a patent on gene drive technology and IFEGENIA technology. OSA co-holds a patent on pgSIT technology as well as IFEGENIA technology. OSA is also a founder of Agragene and Synvect, with equity interest.