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Researchers at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) Entebbe have intensified efforts to reduce the population of the mosquitoes that spread malaria to humans. (Photo by Agnes Nantambi)

This is intended to curtail Malaria, which has been proven a serious killer disease, especially on the African Continent.

Dr. Charles Mugoya, the target Malaria regulatory affairs manager for Africa said activities focusing on control efforts using genetic biocontrol to suppress the vectors that carry Malaria are ongoing on the African continent.

He however said that the East African Community (EAC) has lagged behind in formulating a regional framework for the deployment of genetic bio-control technologies but said they are considering having a regional framework to guide how these GM mosquitoes can be implemented.

As a manager for regulatory compliance and promotion of regional frameworks in the area of biosafety, he refuted allegations by environmentalists that they intend to wipe out all the mosquitoes.

“There is no basis for worry because this is an intervention to manage the disease but not to wipe out the mosquitoes. In other words, it is just adding a tool in the toolbox,” he said.

He explained that a mosquito is very productive where one can lay about 300 fertile eggs.

“This calls for a reduction in the population but not wiping out because even when applying genetic biocontrol, we are only managing the population to a level where it does not pose a threat in terms of spreading Malaria,” he explained.

Currently, he said, they understand the biology of the transformed mosquitoes, their longevity, reproduction, feeding behaviors, mating competitiveness, risk assessment and how they relate to the environments and all other parameters

“We need to be patient a little bit because science takes a little time to produce a solution and the solution has to be tested for safety.

We are in the middle of the research and we believe that we shall get the solution once we have gone through the different phases,” he said.

He said that in the next 8-10 years, they will be able to release the GMO mosquitoes into the environment in order to suppress the vectors that are carrying and spreading Malaria.

Ugandan mosquitoes he said are currently being modified at the Centre for Disease Control in the USA due to lack of the laboratory capacity to modify them locally.

We took them to the USA where they are being modified because our capacity to bring in the genes in the lab was not enough yet we needed them modified. Very soon we shall be repatriating them back into the country.

“We are currently testing the functionality of the lab and once everything is done, it will make us move faster,” he said.

Mugoya said this during the Half-Day Workshop for Engaging and Empowering the Executive, Members of Uganda Biotechnology and Biosafety Consortium (UBBC) on Novel Technologies for Malaria Control at UVRI on Tuesday.

According to Aurther Makala, the coordinator UBBC, this was aimed at creating awareness and sharing information on the ongoing Target Malaria research.

According to Mugoya, the government understands the benefits of the insectary lab in terms of generating mosquitoes that will create an impact in mating with the wild mosquitoes.

“We want our mosquitoes to go and mate with the wild mosquitoes so that they produce very few offspring which will not be able to bite and cannot spread Malaria.

We want to see the biology and how they perform such that when we add the gene drive they will go very quickly into the population,” he added.

“We have to support the efforts to end malaria because the government is spending a lot of money annually to treat malaria, we need a big budget because if we are left alone, malaria will wipe us out,” he said.

Dr. Martin Lukindu, a medical Research entomologist explained that there are 3,500 species of Mosquitoes, the majority of which do not transmit malaria noting that in Africa, the most transmission occurs by three closely related species.

“Our technology focus is mainly on three species which are spreading malaria,” he said.