INTRODUCING AN ANTIMALARIA GENE AGAINST PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM INTO THE GENOME OF FEMALE ANOPHELES MOSQUITOES. CREATION OF "SMART MOSQUITO" POPULATIONS

Abstract

This thesis presents a revolutionary approach in the global fight against malaria, a transmissible disease that kills more people each year than tuberculosis and pneumonia combined. The work aims to create a population of Anopheles mosquitoes, the main carrier of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, that are resistant to the development of the parasite. The essence of the project is to genetically modify female Anopheles mosquitoes by introducing an "antimalarial" gene. This gene encodes a protein (for example, a synthetic antibody or peptide) that stops the development of Plasmodium in the midgut or salivary glands of the mosquito. To achieve this goal, the high-precision genome editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 and the gene drive mechanism are used. The gene drive ensures the spontaneous replication and homozygosity of the antimalarial marker in the next generation of mosquitoes, ensuring the stability and spread of resistance in the population.