RNA delivery to mosquito larvae for species-specific control

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Mosquito-borne diseases infect hundreds of millions of people each year, causing approximately one million deaths annually. With a lack of vaccines to protect against the most serious diseases such as malaria and dengue, the most effective methods of preventing these diseases are mosquito control programs. Chemical insecticides are used extensively to eradicate mosquitoes near human environments, but constant use of broad-spectrum chemical pesticides has increased the frequency of insecticide resistance in mosquito populations and has heightened concerns about the adverse effects of the pesticides on non-target species. Cypher Environmental, a company dedicated to developing environmentally-safe technologies for industrial partners, currently has numerous operations in malaria-affected countries, and is keenly interested in developing new, safer methods to control malaria mosquito populations. Researchers at the University of Manitoba have developed a technology to sterilize male mosquitoes by feeding the larvae RNA molecules. These sterile male mosquitoes can be released into the environment to compete for mates, and thereby reduce mosquito populations in a species-specific, pesticide-free manner. Presently, the mosquitoes are fed relatively high concentrations of the RNA, which is not practical for large-scale production of sterile insects. In this study, we aim to examine a variety of novel biodegradable micro-particles, provided by Cypher Environmental, for their ability to bind the RNA and facilitate the mosquito's ability to ingest and absorb the RNA molecules more effectively. The development of new methods of efficiently delivering sterilizing RNA molecules to the insect is an essential step towards the development of an improved SIT technology to control mosquitoes without the use of broad spectrum pesticides.