Modified Mosquitoes

--- Our New Partner to Fight Against Malaria
A new study suggests that the genetically modified mosquitoes may be our greatest allies to create a new generation of malaria treatments. It is said that mosquitoes’ immune systems are capable of killing 80% to 90% of the malaria parasites that enter their bodies. The malaria-parasite populations are lower when they are inside mosquito bodies, therefore it may be more effective to attack malaria inside the mosquitoes before it enters human hosts.

It is important to understand the mechanism of mosquito’s immune system in fending off malaria. Researchers have already worked out the mechanism that drives one of mosquitoes’ defences. A complex can be formed from three proteins in mosquito blood. Then it binds to malaria parasites and destroys their membranes by punching holes. Due to the difficulties in putting the three proteins together, one of the feasible approaches is to create genetically modified mosquitoes, granting their immune systems carry out malaria-killing abilities. The rest of the work is to give the modified genes a selective advantage and help them quickly spread through the wild mosquitoes via breeding. Since the three-protein mechanism is not the only factor that involved in mosquitoes’ malaria-fighting abilities, this genetically modified technique is not likely to be quick or easy.The study should go on and provide a full picture for the global health crisis.

Reference: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/090421-world-malaria-day.html

The elusive and enigmatic disease, HIV, which kills millions of people yearly, might finally have some significant treatment breakthroughs. Researchers are reporting that a new antiviral strategy powerfully protects monkeys from SIV, the simian cousin of HIV. Experts say the development could eventually lead to a vaccine-like weapon against AIDS.

Currently, vaccines have proved ineffective in stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies against the deadly syndrome. So researcher, Philip Johnson, decided to bypass the autoimmune mechanism and deliver the antibodies straight into the body.

Philip Johnson thought of linking groups of antibodies together and then stitching these genes into adeno-associated virus (AAV), a "vector" used in human gene therapy experiments to deliver foreign DNA into the body's cells.
In the experiment, 6 of the 9 monkeys which were first injected with the “immunoadhesins” did not receive the SIV where as the 6 which weren’t, all became affected.
This is a positive step forward in the gruelling battle against AIDS.