Development of a novel genetic population suppression system in the mosquito species Aedes aegypti

The goal of this project is to develop a novel genetic control system for population suppression of the mosquito species Aedes aegypti. This species is a primary vector of the dengue, Zika, and chikugunya arboviruses, which cause huge human suffering and have no effective treatment. Genetic vector control has become increasingly attractive to reduce reliance on existing pest management strategies like insecticide spraying that may be harmful to human health and the environment and whose efficacy has waned due to resistance. The genetic control system proposed here overcomes certain limitations of other methods by forcing inheritance of a genetic construct through all the sons of a modified male, while imposing high fitness costs on its daughters. This system, known as the Y-linked editor, has been modelled to be substantially more efficient at suppressing populations than other genetic vector control technologies that have already been deployed against some major pests in the wild, while remaining sufficiently non-invasive, such that its spread to nontarget populations may be more easily controlled. Development of this system in A. aegypti has immense potential for application in the field and will generate critical data for translation to related species with significant impacts on health and agriculture.