Is Uganda, Africa ready for emerging synthetic biology technologies, experts weigh in
Jun 22, 2024
Atwine told New Vision online that, with regulations in place, Uganda and other African countries will benefit from the many beneficial possibilities that synthetic biology offers.
A US GAO analysis image showing the potential applications of synthetic biology in four sectors.
Richard Wetaya
Journalist @New Vision
_______________ Jude Thaddeus Bigirwenkya. (Courtesy photo)
The pilot release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Djibouti last month to combat a surge in malaria infections, as well as reports that Uganda may follow suit, has raised concerns among conservationists and environmentalists who oppose their release, arguing that they will destroy ecosystems and endanger people's health.
Proponents of this emerging technology of Synthetic Biology, which refers to technologies or a field of science that redesigns organisms in a way that improves and sustains human life, have however brushed off the conservationists’ and environmentalists’ concerns as scaremongering.
“Genetically modified mosquitoes, also referred to as gene drive mosquitoes and other Synthetic Biology applications, represent a groundbreaking advance that will be used to manage and eradicate plant and animal pests, stop the global loss of biodiversity, and reduce the use of indiscriminate pesticides that harm wildlife,” says Gideon Atwine, a molecular biologist.
Atwine told New Vision online that, with regulations in place, Uganda and other African countries will benefit from the many beneficial possibilities that Synthetic Biology offers.
“With it, countries on the continent will be able to efficiently combat infectious diseases caused by mosquitos, boost food production, improve disease diagnosis and treatments, and enhance biodiversity and nature conservation in accordance with the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. This approach, which a 2022 study by McKinsey, an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm, predicted would generate $28.8 billion in global revenue by 2026, will aid in the control of invasive and alien species, which are recognised as serious threats to biodiversity in a range of contexts, particularly in terms of their impact on biogeographically isolated fauna and flora.”
The expert case against Synthetic Biology Technologies
Environmental conservationist Fred Wangota, however, takes issue stating that Synthetic Biology could have significant conservation implications, such as changed genes spreading to non-target species and harming larger ecosystems.
“When novel organisms break free from confinement and breed in open environments, they will alter the ecosystems already in place negatively. If they exchange genetic material with their wild relatives, they will change existing biodiversity, potentially reducing viability,” he explained.
Wangota added that the plan to replace wild mosquito populations with gene-drive mosquitos that are refractory carriers of human disease will be counterproductive.
“These could eliminate other species, threatening biodiversity and interfering with food chain cascades, affecting pollinators, pests, crops, and interactions. Therefore, Uganda and Africa at large must stick with their proven malaria vector control strategies (indoor residual spraying and insecticide-treated mosquitoes).”
Even though the African Union, which has designated 2030 as its target year for the elimination of malaria from Africa issued a report in June 2018 supporting the development of genetically engineered mosquitoes and gene drive technology, ecological think tanks and environmental conservation civil society organisations on the continent have continued to voice concerns.
In July 2018, the Health for Mother Earth Foundation, an ecological think tank that advocates for food sovereignty and environmental/climate justice in Nigeria and Africa at large, released an anti-gene drive organisms statement on its website.
Among other things, the statement put forth that Africans do not wish to be lab rats for gene drive experiments or guinea pigs for organisations bent on misguided disruption of the continent’s food systems and ecology.
In 2018 as well, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), which works towards food sovereignty and agroecology in Africa, with a focus on biosafety, seed systems, and agricultural biodiversity, published a critique of a gene drive adoption-friendly report by NEPAD, the African Union's Development Agency.
The report expressed biosafety concerns about gene drives, including the possibility of broader ecological, health, social, and/or economic negative impacts that could pose critical challenges to national sovereignty and biosafety risk assessment.
Barbara Ntambirweki, a researcher and anti-gene drive advocate, told New Vision online that any plans to deploy Synthetic Biology applications such as modified mosquito genomes in Africa and Uganda, which has for the last 9 years, participated in a series of preliminary research activities for the prospective field testing of gene drive mosquitoes, should be put on hold.
“There is no evidence or proof that genetically modified mosquitoes would/can contribute to tackling the current challenges in the fight against malaria,” she said, adding that recent global gains suggest malaria reduction can be achieved without gene drive or GMO technologies.”
“Paraguay, Argentina, Algeria, Sri Lanka, China, and most recently Cape Verde have recently eradicated malaria through preventative, curative, surveillance, and control interventions. African nations can follow this path if we focus on alternative interventions for the benefit and sake of future generations,” added Ntambirweki, who is also a Stanford University Digital Practical Fellow.
“At issue, as well is the potential risk of the technology to spread into non-target mosquito species that do not carry malaria but may other roles such as providing food sources for aquatic organisms.”
The Expert Case for Synthetic Biology Technologies
Molecular geneticist, Rita Muheto contends that Synthetic Biology technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9 and gene drives, would ensure that modified mosquito genomes are incapable of spreading malaria parasites, hence lowering the incidence of malaria in Uganda and other sub-Saharan African countries.
“That is not all, however. This technology, which is already a reality, is being employed to protect threatened species and to address conservation challenges such as wildlife trafficking. In Asia, it is being employed to provide synthetic alternatives to wildlife products or to develop alternative items, such as horn powder made from synthetic keratin and rhinoceros DNA, which may match or even improve on some of the product characteristics prized by rhinoceros horn buyers.”
“Furthermore, it is providing options for engineering resistance to fungal diseases that are a major threat to wildlife.”
According to Felix Odongo, a synthetic biologist, Synthetic Biology has the potential to reduce the ultimate cause of most conservation problems, by mitigating the impact of human activities.
“Synthetic Biology will help counteract the decline in biodiversity that has occurred in recent years as a result of, among other things, land use changes and habitat modifications.”
According to the Environment and Water Ministry and the National Environment Management Authority, the rate of biodiversity loss in Uganda is estimated to be between 10-11% per decade.
Odongo adds that with Synthetic Biology, countries would be able to restore degraded lands and streams for conservation or increased food production, potentially protecting wild regions.
“For good measure, land and sea habitats that are currently unavailable to animals due to energy installations could be freed up by new techniques of energy production. The effects of climate change on conservation could be mitigated by large-scale deployments of carbon-consuming algae.”
“Similarly, the strain on wild fish stocks that are in decline may be reduced by engineered microbes and microalgae (Microalgae are a type of self-sustaining microorganisms that live in marine, freshwater, and soil habitats) that may provide omega-3 oil substitutes. The efficiency of producing biofuels and clean energy could both be improved by using this technology. For instance, microalgae are being "reprogrammed" to generate renewable energy cost-effectively.”
Experts respond to concerns about ecosystem harm and human health
In response to concerns that deployed synthetic technologies like gene drive mosquitoes would harm ecosystems and human health, Dr. Jonathan Kayondo, Principal Investigator for Target Malaria in Uganda, emphasises that Target Malaria regularly evaluates the possibility of its technology harming the environment or human and animal health.
“We want our technology, which is well suited to the widespread incidence of malaria and its prevalence in rural areas to be safe and effective. Before any novel control method can undergo regulatory review for consideration of field releases, potential harms to human health and the environment must first be identified and assessed.”
Target Malaria is an innovative research consortium that seeks to reduce the population of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project has been engaging communities and countries for over ten years.
The 2022 Mckinsey study highlighted earlier in the story indicated that Synthetic Biology is expected to have a significant impact on the medical and health sectors, with a $1.3 trillion annual economic impact by 2030–2040.
Entomologist Dr Charles Mugoya, the Regulatory Affairs Manager for Africa at Target Malaria, adds that potential gene drive releases in countries like Uganda would only occur with national authorities’ approval and in compliance with international guidelines and national biosafety standards.
Kayondo, who doubles as the Head of the Department of Entomology at the Uganda Virus Research Institute reveals that Target Malaria published a paper in the Malaria Journal which addressed simulated releases in West Africa of a specific strain of gene drive mosquito.
“The teams proactively investigated potential harm from the simulated release of a gene drive mosquito in Africa that would be scientifically plausible. The teams identified plausible pathways to potential harm to the environment and health from the release of this gene-modified mosquito for further investigation. The exercise revealed that, in many cases, the more efficient a gene drive mosquito causes population reduction, the less likely potential harms are to occur.”
Kayondo says the developed pathways will inform the next stages of an Environmental Risk Assessment on population suppression gene drive, which will involve assessments of the likelihood and magnitude of the identified potential harms.
Setting up social contracts with Synthetic Biology tool developers
Ntambirweki believes that social contracts between communities and developers of gene drive mosquitoes should be established in earnest and that developers should bear responsibility for any risks or unintended consequences that may arise as a result of any future synthetic technology deployment in Uganda and Africa.
“Free prior informed consent is a requirement that needs to embody these gene drive experiments. Currently, all these developments occur in a governance vacuum. The region still lacks a comprehensive law to regulate the development of this controversial technology.”
However, Jude Thaddeus Bigirwenkya, Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Target Malaria Uganda, explains that social contracts are made between governments and citizens.
“To that end, biosafety decisions, including risk assessment and responsibility, are made by competent authorities, namely National Biosafety Committees, on behalf of the populations of the nations in which the project operates and Target Malaria operates and works by those biosafety decisions, including risk assessment and accountability considerations.”