Lecture Notes on Malaria and Gene Drive Technology

Introduction

Speaker: Abdoulaye Diabaté, medical entomologist from l'Institut de Recherche en Science de la Santé.
Main Topic: Overview of malaria, its impact, and innovative technology to combat it.
Humor: Starts with a light-hearted reference to mosquitoes.

Historical Context: Malaria has been a public health issue since ancient times, but it was largely controlled in the US and Europe.
Current Situation: Still a major cause of death in Africa and Asia, with about 200 million cases and approximately 600,000 deaths annually.
Vulnerable Groups: Highest impact on children and pregnant women.

Diabaté shares a personal story as a childhood malaria survivor, illustrating the pain and suffering associated with the disease.
Highlights the psychological trauma experienced by families affected by malaria.

Complexity of Malaria: Involves three components: Plasmodium (pathogen), anopheles (vector), and humans.
Current Interventions: Vaccines, bed nets, and treatments are limited by resistance to insecticides and drugs.
Need for New Tools: Emphasis on the necessity of additional interventions to achieve malaria elimination.

Definition: A natural mechanism that increases the frequency of a specific gene in a population beyond normal inheritance patterns.
Mechanism Overview:
- Normal inheritance: 50% chance of gene passing to offspring.
- Gene drive: Can increase transmission rate up to 90%.
Targeting Mosquito Populations: Developing a strain of mosquitoes that will suppress the population by targeting the doublesex gene affecting female fertility.
Suppression Strategy: Females with two copies of the altered gene are unable to reproduce and do not bite.
Predictions: Mathematical models suggest malaria transmission could stop in about 20 generations (2 years).

Concerns: Technology carries potential risks and skepticism from communities.
Incremental Approach: Gradual testing of mosquitoes, starting with non-gene-drive variants, before moving to gene drive mosquitoes.
Stakeholder Engagement: Essential to gain social license to operate, ensuring respect for community values.

Need for Local Expertise: Essential for the sustainable implementation of gene drive technology.
Establishment of Centers: World Bank-funded center of excellence on vector-borne diseases in Burkina Faso and additional funding from the Gates Foundation to train next-generation scientists.

Vision: A world free of malaria, empowering children everywhere.
Final Message: Emphasizes hope and the potential of science to change lives, urging collective action towards malaria elimination.