13TSB_TIBio: Genomes and synthetic biology for development of novel pest control technologies

Oxitec是应用合成生物学防治害虫的世界领先者。Oxitec的RIDL(R)技术依赖于释放大量饲养的基因不育（转基因）雄性昆虫，这些雄性昆虫与野生害虫交配，从而导致种群数量下降。RIDL对伊蚊有效。使加勒比海和巴西的野生种群减少了80-96%。当前技术的一个昂贵方面是选择雄性放生，因为雌性的血液供应和传播疾病很重要。该项目旨在开发一种新的方法来生产RIDL蚊子的雄性群体（“基因性别”），这将显著降低成本并巩固Oxitec在该领域的领导地位。下一代测序数据集的分析将有助于在Ae中开发新的RIDL特征。埃及伊蚊，以提高我们的技术在现场的应用效率。发展有针对性的生物信息学方法和成功地设计一种新的遗传性别鉴定技术，将为开发对公共卫生和农业重要的其他害虫的新的RIDL性状提供一条管道。

Oxitec is the world leader in application of synthetic biology to control of pest insects. Oxitec's RIDL(R) technology relies on release of mass-reared genetically sterile (transgenic) male insects that mate with their wild pest counterparts, thereby causing a drop in population. RIDL efficacy is proven against Ae. aegypti, reducing wild populations in the Caribbean and Brazil by 80-96%. A costly aspect of current technology is the means of selecting males only for release, important as the females blood-feed and transmit disease. This project aims to develop a novel method of producing male-only cohorts of RIDL mosquitoes ('genetic sexing') that would both markedly reduce costs and cement Oxitec's leadership in the field. Next-generation sequencing datasets will be analysed to help develop new RIDL traits in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, to increase the efficiency of applying our technology in the field. Development of targeted bioinformatics methodology, and successful engineering of a novel genetic sexing technique, will provide a pipeline for development of new RIDL traits in other pests important for public health and agriculture.