Re: [DIYbio] Re: Bti cry proteins

PS, can we think up a fun buzzword for vaccination-by-genetics? What do
you call it when a species is rendered artificially immune to something
by genetic intervention?

Haxxination?
Gene Patching?

On 26/02/15 11:37, Cathal Garvey wrote:
> I think our endgame on malaria is not the extirpation of mosquitos,
> (though we could probably do that if we cared enough and I don't think
> they're an ecological "keystone species") but rather the
> mass-genetic-vaccination of mosquitos.
>
> The example I always return to is fruit flies! These days, the term for
> this is a "gene drive":
>
> Back when fruit fly research began, researchers captured some wild flies
> and started breeding them. Only 20 years later, someone discovered that
> *all wild fruit flies* had a particular transposon not found in *any*
> captive populations from the 20-year-old captures. They discovered, or
> realised rather, that transposons can jump across chromosomes to create
> individuals who are homozygous for the transposon whereas they only
> inherited a copy from one parent. In other words, genes that *make their
> host homozygous*. The spread of these genes through populations is
> phenomenal, because they don't follow patters of eqiulibria.
>
> The rub is, they're usually just parasitic or neutral things, like
> transposons or inteins (inteins are so weird!), which may have mutagenic
> effects and therefore contribute to mutation/evolution rate but don't
> intrinsically carry any huge benefit.
>
> Now, back to the modern buzzword "Gene Drives", where we design genes
> that actually *do* something, and these genes can copy themselves across
> the chromosome divide to likewise create homozygotes.
>
> Malaria is not beneficial to mosquitos. It reduces their lifespan and
> nutrient intake. There is almost certainly a clear benefit to making
> mosquitos immune to malaria, and the addition of a gene drive to push
> that immunity trait could, if we believe the fruit fly example,
> eliminate the carrier of malaria within a few decades with the drop-off
> becoming drastic and precipitous within probably the first decade.
>
> Then you do the same for water snails to destroy another potential
> carrier of a deadly human disease. And to kissing bugs. And so on, until
> the intermediate hosts of all human diseases are immune to the diseases
> themselves, and can't inflict suffering, poverty, and premature death
> any longer.
>
> So, who wants to apply to IndieBio Ireland with this idea? :)
>
> On 26/02/15 10:51, Heinrich Meurer wrote:
>> Hi Go
>>
>> First of all, many thanks for your kind wishes!
>>
>> Regarding GMO Mosquitoes the IAEA sort of pioneered that idea by
>> sponsoring research which used radiation sources to sterilize male
>> Mosquitoes with the idea that a mass release of sterilized Mosquitoes
>> next to breeding grounds would prevent female Mosquitoes from flying
>> about to find blood proteins for their egg development. Same approach
>> apparently with GMO. Expect that GMO Mosquitoes are not radiation sick
>> while following their instincts…
>>
>> The problem could be to raise and push enough modified Mosquitoes into
>> the environment to make a dent in the population. They would need to
>> compete successfully with unmodified males for females when these hatch
>> from the breeding grounds. So the right timing would also be a big issue.
>>
>> GMO Mosquitoe release on a large scale does not appear in my mind to be
>> a technology suitable for local ownership of rural communities.
>>
>> Regarding Bill Gates and his foundation – he is doing absolutely great
>> things with his initiative on the application of vaccines and the
>> development of new ones – like for Malaria parasites. His role model is
>> obviously the final eradication of Smallpox in India. However in
>> Smallpox the only host for the two viruses is men, whereas Malaria
>> parasites infecting men also feel comfortable in apes and there is a
>> host of other Malaria parasites specialized in birds, reptiles and
>> mammals. The research for Malaria vaccines is going on at least since 20
>> years. Without much success so far which could be partly because of a
>> high genetic variability of the parasite.
>>
>> We did submit a proposal along our line to the Bill Gates Foundation a
>> few years ago without success. Involved US and Israel researchers. We
>> did submit rather recently another proposal to MESA involving a German
>> University and the national institute for plant safety. Also without
>> success which is why I am trying the open science route now.
>>
>> By the way – Bill Gates did apparently a very strange research project
>> on Malaria when the star wars project was phased out involving the laser
>> technology from that project and their scientists
>> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito_laser). That project reminds me
>> of the Glomar Challenger build by Howard Hughes as the cover up for
>> picking a Russian sub with nuclear torpedoes from the bottom of the sea.
>>
>>
>>
>> Am Montag, 23. Februar 2015 17:31:11 UTC+1 schrieb GO:
>>
>> I don't know much about malaria but believe that GMO modified
>> mosquitoes were recently released in the Florida Keys (? not sure,
>> but I'll find the news of you need it) to combat Nile disease. The
>> approach was to modify just males but when the breed with non-GMO
>> females, offspring is non-viable. The good part is that one does not
>> propagate GMO modified organism (GMO is a difficult thing for public
>> to swallow) and they influence just that species.
>> Also take a look at Gates Foundation, I think they have projects for
>> combating Malaria.
>>
>> Good luck!
>>
>> On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 5:24:58 AM UTC-6, Heinrich Meurer
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi all
>>
>> This is a geologist calling, who happens to be interested in
>> Malaria prevention by vector control. Idea: use the Bt maize and
>> associated safety research as a model to grow a plant (maize or
>> switchgrass) which expresses larvicidal proteins encoded by
>> /cry/ genes from /Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. This would
>> allow to produce locally a dirt cheap and therefor sustainable
>> biological larvicide which is safe, easy to handle and to store
>> under tropical conditions. Local communities can then take for
>> the first time ownership of fight against Malaria. This by
>> applying simple agro technologies like drying plants and
>> grinding them down to a powder of the mesh size of the larvae
>> yaws…/
>>
>> /There are certain more beneficial aspects to consider:/
>>
>> /The protein will be capsulated inside lignin and therefor float
>> for a long time in the feeding zone instead of sinking quickly
>> to the bottom, as current formulations do./
>>
>> /For the same reason the protein will be protected from
>> degrading UV radiation as opposed to current formulations which
>> break down under UV making the protein useless. Preferred
>> breeding ground for the most dangerous Malaria Mosquitoe
>> Anopheles gambiae is clear sunlit still water which means a lot
>> of sunshine. /
>>
>> /As the plant derived protein will float, it could be coated
>> (Glycerin) to make it "self-spreading" on the water reaching,
>> otherwise inaccessible spots in breeding grounds. Of course
>> helped by the occasional wind and current./
>>
>> /Of course one also needs a technology to map even the smallest
>> breeding grounds in the jungle within a sanitation corridor
>> around a village. That being worked on using small model planes
>> and modified point and shoot cameras taking pics in the near
>> infrared./
>>
>> /Does the above make any sense? And if yes could it be
>> conceivable that DIY biologists take a part in it as an open
>> science project?/
>>
>> /Thank you very much for your time and patience. Please remember
>> – I am a geologist and generally chip away on rocks!/
>>
>> /Heinrich/
>>
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