Oxitec’s approach is unique and different in concept from other genetic approaches. Oxitec’s genetically sterile male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes will mate with the wild (non-sterile) Aedes aegypti females. The offspring that result from this mating of sterile males and wild females will not survive. The approach is ‘self-limiting’: in other words, there will be no [...]
Oxitec and its collaborators have performed open field release tests of Aedes aegypti in several countries (including the Cayman Islands, Malaysia and Brazil). There are several related experiments that have occurred in the past. One trial using sterile mosquitoes was conducted in El Salvador in the 1970s, where 4.4 million sterile mosquitoes were released in [...]
Oxitec’s approach aims to release only male mosquitoes, which are incapable of biting. Because they don’t bite, male mosquitoes are harmless; diseases such as dengue are transmitted exclusively by females. Immature stages (eggs, larvae and pupae) of either sex are also incapable of biting humans. For mosquito control programmes based on the release of Oxitec’s [...]
Yes, we are a UK company, exporting leading British science to benefit people around the world. We were founded as a spin-out from the University of Oxford, one of the world’s leading universities, and we’ve since worked in partnership with many renowned public and charitable institutions which share our commitment to improving global health, such [...]
Herpes is spread by human-to-human contact, not by mosquitoes. Oxitec’s mosquitoes contain a small piece of synthetic DNA, part of which is similar to a piece of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). This represents one quarter of one percent of the virus genome. It is used in the modified mosquitoes as part of the [...]
The RIDL system we have developed has been researched and tested for over 10 years, in a variety of conditions; laboratory, semi-field and field. The mosquitoes have been observed for over 100 generations (in human equivalents, that would take us back to the Vikings!) so we don’t feel that we’re rushing. Oxitec and independent collaborators [...]
It’s very unlikely that the RIDL technology would have any major effects on the ecosystem. Aedes aegypti is not native to Florida Keys; it originated in Africa and was spread around the world in the lat few hundred years along international trade routes. When a species has been recently introduced to a country, it is [...]
No. The Aedes aegypti female mosquito spreads dengue. Males do not bite or spread disease (in fact males cannot bite). Aedes aegypti is the species of mosquito which is primarily responsible for spreading dengue. Another species, Aedes albopictus, can also spread dengue, but it is much less successful as a disease vector. Other mosquito species [...]
We know that, in the laboratory, a very small number of RIDL larvae (about 3%) can survive until adulthood. This has been known since the strain was made in 2002. But in the open environment, we would expect very few, if any, survivors – and in fact the trial in Cayman found none at all. [...]
The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is an environment-friendly, species-specific method of insect control, which has been described as “birth control for insects” SIT has been used very successfully in agriculture for over 50 years. SIT works by releasing sterile insects of a target species. The sterile males compete with the wild males for female insects. [...]
Regulations for the release of GM organisms of any kind in a country are covered by the national (Biosafety) regulations and law of that country. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an international treaty governing movement of GMO’s between different countries. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an international treaty governing the movements of living [...]
We’ve introduced a gene into the mosquitoes which stops their cells from functioning normally. The lethal gene is able to act as a switch to control the activity of other genes. The gene doesn’t produce any toxic proteins, but when it is active it ties up some of the cell’s essential machinery and disrupts its [...]
The Cartagena Biosafety Protocol governs the movement of genetically modified materials from one country to another, but national Governments make decisions regarding their own regulatory requirements. In the Cayman Islands, The Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU) used its usual practice to communicate with people about the trial. This included briefing stakeholders, and householders about [...]
We are carrying out demonstrations in several other countries. They are taking place currently in Brazil and Malaysia, and we plan to do more in the USA, Panama, and other countries affected by Dengue Fever. Our solution has enormous potential to help control the dengue mosquito in these countries, but it’s important that we can [...]
We expect that customers will use our products as part of an integrated pest control programme. That means that accurate costs are difficult to calculate at the moment, as they will depend on the way customers choose to deploy our solution. That in turn is likely to depend on the number of mosquitoes in an [...]
Together with the Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU) in the Cayman Islands, we ran a trial in Cayman in 2009 to demonstrate the ability of our RIDL mosquitoes to find and mate females in the wild. In this trial we released approx. 18,000 RIDL males over 4 weeks, over an area of 10 ha. [...]
We’re excited about the solution we offer because we think it has the potential to benefit millions of lives. We are confident that it is safe, and better for the environment than existing control methods. Introduction of any new technology could have unforeseen consequences – even something as widely accepted as the use of mobile [...]
The trials were not conducted in secret, and we did publicise the fact that genetically modified mosquitoes were to be used. Prior to the release, the national newspaper (Cay Compass) published an article about the use of genetically modified mosquitoes in vector (disease carrier) control. It was well known by local people that the mosquitoes [...]
Oxitec and independent collaborators around the World have conducted extensive testing to make sure that the modified mosquitoes are only different from the wild ones in their ability to reproduce. The mosquitoes have been tested by laboratories around the world including the Institute Pasteur in Paris, the Institute for Medical Research in Malaysia, University of [...]
Yes. Once the released males have mated with a wild female, they will not survive beyond their short lifespan of about 10 days. The mated females lay eggs which hatch into larvae, but the larvae don’t develop into adults due to our genetic modification. We do know that, in the laboratory, a very small number [...]
In 2010, in partnership with the Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU), we released 3.3 million RIDL males in an area of the Cayman Islands over a 5 month period. We showed an 80% reduction in the target mosquito population: a convincing demonstration that our RIDL solution was an effective way of controlling mosquito populations [...]
Yes, risk assessments are routinely carried out by Regulatory Authorities according to their own requirements. Bodies such as the World Health Organisation can, and do, provide guidance and training. Every country that evaluates the approach will carry out its own risk assessment. One such assessment has been undertaken by the USDA, which has conducted an [...]
No, absolutely not. There is no substance to the claim that Oxitec’s business model will in some way ‘lock in’ customers to continually making payments for its mosquitoes. Customers would always have a choice on whether and how to use our products: there is no hidden ‘small print’, here, and there is nothing in the [...]
As with all methods of controlling insects, there is always a small chance that resistance could develop. But the chance is much smaller with our solution than conventional pesticides. That’s because when pesticides are sprayed in the wild, any mosquitoes which are resistant to them are more likely to survive and pass on their resistance [...]
Our approach has the potential to reduce the population of the Dengue-carrying mosquito to a level below which disease is not transmitted. That’s something which, despite the best efforts of Governments around the world, conventional methods have comprehensively failed to achieve. The result is that Dengue Fever now affects 50m people a year, and is [...]
We aim to publish much of our research in peer-reviewed journals, however the peer-review process can often take a long time, particularly if the manuscript is rejected by one journal and we have to submit to another journal. This has happened several times with our research as the journals regarded it as not of sufficient [...]
Oxitec and other independent researchers have demonstrated that the modified mosquitoes are similar to wild mosquitoes, except for the introduction of the novel genes and their effects on the mosquitoes. We are confident about their safety, but recognize that others may have concerns in this regard. Oxitec is committed to working with regulatory authorities to [...]
Our mission as a business is to develop better, safer, more environmentally friendly ways of protecting people from dangerous diseases and from agricultural pests. We are a private company, so yes, we do need to make a profit – in just the same way that any other company has to make a profit. The profits [...]
If an organism ingested a GM mosquito it is likely that this would no different to ingesting a wild mosquito. Animals that eat the sterile Aedes aegypti mosquito will be exposed to nutritional elements – protein, fat, sugar and others – as they would from eating any mosquito: they cannot take up genes through this [...]
We were invited to conduct the trial by the Cayman authorities, who were very conscious of the threat posed by Dengue Fever and were aware of the potential of our solution. The trial itself was carried out in full accordance with all the appropriate Cayman regulations, which were determined following briefing sessions with several Government [...]
Oxitec is pioneering a new solution to control harmful insect populations, including the mosquito which spreads Dengue Fever. 50 million people each year suffer from Dengue Fever – a debilitating and sometimes fatal disease also known as ‘break-bone fever’. That number is growing rapidly year on year; there are no vaccines or treatments, and current [...]
Dengue fever is a severe, flu-like illness that affects infants, young children and adults. There is neither specific medicine nor vaccine for dengue fever. Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes aegypti mosquito infected with any one of the four versions of the dengue virus. Symptoms appear in 3–14 days (average 4–7 [...]
No, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes cannot breed with other insects in the wild, not even with other species of mosquito. Therefore the genes are restricted to this single species of mosquito Animals that eat the sterile Aedes aegypti mosquito will be exposed to nutritional elements; protein, fat, sugar and others, as they would from eating any [...]
This trial was the first ever release of RIDL/genetically modified mosquitoes. It proved that our RIDL mosquitoes successfully mated with wild females and fertilised their eggs. That provided strong evidence that our insects could be used as the basis of a mosquito control programme: successful mating between our modified males and wild females is the [...]
We anticipate that Oxitec’s solution would be used alongside other methods of pest control, as part of an integrated pest management strategy. The majority of existing control methods involve treatments against larvae; these are completely compatible with our approach and we would assume they would continue during any trial. Insecticide spraying against adults is more [...]
We anticipate that Oxitec’s solution would be used alongside other methods of pest control, as part of an integrated pest management strategy. The majority of existing control methods involve treatments against larvae; these are completely compatible with our approach and we would assume they would continue during any trial. Insecticide spraying against adults is more [...]
Herpes is spread by human-to-human contact, not by mosquitoes. Oxitec’s mosquitoes contain a small piece of synthetic DNA, part of which is similar to a piece of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). This represents one quarter of one percent of the virus genome. It is used in the modified mosquitoes as part of the [...]
No, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes cannot breed with other insects in the wild, not even with other species of mosquito. Therefore the genes are restricted to this single species of mosquito Animals that eat the sterile Aedes aegypti mosquito will be exposed to nutritional elements; protein, fat, sugar and others, as they would from eating any [...]
Oxitec’s approach is unique and different in concept from other genetic approaches. Oxitec’s genetically sterile male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes will mate with the wild (non-sterile) Aedes aegypti females. The offspring that result from this mating of sterile males and wild females will not survive. The approach is ‘self-limiting’: in other words, there will be no [...]
Yes, risk assessments are routinely carried out by Regulatory Authorities according to their own requirements. Bodies such as the World Health Organisation can, and do, provide guidance and training. Every country that evaluates the approach will carry out its own risk assessment. One such assessment has been undertaken by the USDA, which has conducted an [...]
Regulations for the release of GM organisms of any kind in a country are covered by the national (Biosafety) regulations and law of that country. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an international treaty governing movement of GMO’s between different countries. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an international treaty governing the movements of living [...]
Oxitec and its collaborators have performed open field release tests of Aedes aegypti in several countries (including the Cayman Islands, Malaysia and Brazil). There are several related experiments that have occurred in the past. One trial using sterile mosquitoes was conducted in El Salvador in the 1970s, where 4.4 million sterile mosquitoes were released in [...]
Oxitec and independent collaborators around the World have conducted extensive testing to make sure that the modified mosquitoes are only different from the wild ones in their ability to reproduce. The mosquitoes have been tested by laboratories around the world including the Institute Pasteur in Paris, the Institute for Medical Research in Malaysia, University of [...]
No. The Aedes aegypti female mosquito spreads dengue. Males do not bite or spread disease (in fact males cannot bite). Aedes aegypti is the species of mosquito which is primarily responsible for spreading dengue. Another species, Aedes albopictus, can also spread dengue, but it is much less successful as a disease vector. Other mosquito species [...]
Dengue fever is a severe, flu-like illness that affects infants, young children and adults. There is neither specific medicine nor vaccine for dengue fever. Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes aegypti mosquito infected with any one of the four versions of the dengue virus. Symptoms appear in 3–14 days (average 4–7 [...]
The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is an environment-friendly, species-specific method of insect control, which has been described as “birth control for insects” SIT has been used very successfully in agriculture for over 50 years. SIT works by releasing sterile insects of a target species. The sterile males compete with the wild males for female insects. [...]
We aim to publish much of our research in peer-reviewed journals, however the peer-review process can often take a long time, particularly if the manuscript is rejected by one journal and we have to submit to another journal. This has happened several times with our research as the journals regarded it as not of sufficient [...]
We expect that customers will use our products as part of an integrated pest control programme. That means that accurate costs are difficult to calculate at the moment, as they will depend on the way customers choose to deploy our solution. That in turn is likely to depend on the number of mosquitoes in an [...]
No, absolutely not. There is no substance to the claim that Oxitec’s business model will in some way ‘lock in’ customers to continually making payments for its mosquitoes. Customers would always have a choice on whether and how to use our products: there is no hidden ‘small print’, here, and there is nothing in the [...]
If an organism ingested a GM mosquito it is likely that this would no different to ingesting a wild mosquito. Animals that eat the sterile Aedes aegypti mosquito will be exposed to nutritional elements – protein, fat, sugar and others – as they would from eating any mosquito: they cannot take up genes through this [...]
It’s very unlikely that the RIDL technology would have any major effects on the ecosystem. Aedes aegypti is not native to Florida Keys; it originated in Africa and was spread around the world in the lat few hundred years along international trade routes. When a species has been recently introduced to a country, it is [...]
Oxitec’s approach aims to release only male mosquitoes, which are incapable of biting. Because they don’t bite, male mosquitoes are harmless; diseases such as dengue are transmitted exclusively by females. Immature stages (eggs, larvae and pupae) of either sex are also incapable of biting humans. For mosquito control programmes based on the release of Oxitec’s [...]
We know that, in the laboratory, a very small number of RIDL larvae (about 3%) can survive until adulthood. This has been known since the strain was made in 2002. But in the open environment, we would expect very few, if any, survivors – and in fact the trial in Cayman found none at all. [...]
The RIDL system we have developed has been researched and tested for over 10 years, in a variety of conditions; laboratory, semi-field and field. The mosquitoes have been observed for over 100 generations (in human equivalents, that would take us back to the Vikings!) so we don’t feel that we’re rushing. Oxitec and independent collaborators [...]
The Cartagena Biosafety Protocol governs the movement of genetically modified materials from one country to another, but national Governments make decisions regarding their own regulatory requirements. In the Cayman Islands, The Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU) used its usual practice to communicate with people about the trial. This included briefing stakeholders, and householders about [...]
We were invited to conduct the trial by the Cayman authorities, who were very conscious of the threat posed by Dengue Fever and were aware of the potential of our solution. The trial itself was carried out in full accordance with all the appropriate Cayman regulations, which were determined following briefing sessions with several Government [...]
The trials were not conducted in secret, and we did publicise the fact that genetically modified mosquitoes were to be used. Prior to the release, the national newspaper (Cay Compass) published an article about the use of genetically modified mosquitoes in vector (disease carrier) control. It was well known by local people that the mosquitoes [...]
We are carrying out demonstrations in several other countries. They are taking place currently in Brazil and Malaysia, and we plan to do more in the USA, Panama, and other countries affected by Dengue Fever. Our solution has enormous potential to help control the dengue mosquito in these countries, but it’s important that we can [...]
In 2010, in partnership with the Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU), we released 3.3 million RIDL males in an area of the Cayman Islands over a 5 month period. We showed an 80% reduction in the target mosquito population: a convincing demonstration that our RIDL solution was an effective way of controlling mosquito populations [...]
This trial was the first ever release of RIDL/genetically modified mosquitoes. It proved that our RIDL mosquitoes successfully mated with wild females and fertilised their eggs. That provided strong evidence that our insects could be used as the basis of a mosquito control programme: successful mating between our modified males and wild females is the [...]
Together with the Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU) in the Cayman Islands, we ran a trial in Cayman in 2009 to demonstrate the ability of our RIDL mosquitoes to find and mate females in the wild. In this trial we released approx. 18,000 RIDL males over 4 weeks, over an area of 10 ha. [...]
Our mission as a business is to develop better, safer, more environmentally friendly ways of protecting people from dangerous diseases and from agricultural pests. We are a private company, so yes, we do need to make a profit – in just the same way that any other company has to make a profit. The profits [...]
Yes, we are a UK company, exporting leading British science to benefit people around the world. We were founded as a spin-out from the University of Oxford, one of the world’s leading universities, and we’ve since worked in partnership with many renowned public and charitable institutions which share our commitment to improving global health, such [...]
As with all methods of controlling insects, there is always a small chance that resistance could develop. But the chance is much smaller with our solution than conventional pesticides. That’s because when pesticides are sprayed in the wild, any mosquitoes which are resistant to them are more likely to survive and pass on their resistance [...]
Yes. Once the released males have mated with a wild female, they will not survive beyond their short lifespan of about 10 days. The mated females lay eggs which hatch into larvae, but the larvae don’t develop into adults due to our genetic modification. We do know that, in the laboratory, a very small number [...]
We’ve introduced a gene into the mosquitoes which stops their cells from functioning normally. The lethal gene is able to act as a switch to control the activity of other genes. The gene doesn’t produce any toxic proteins, but when it is active it ties up some of the cell’s essential machinery and disrupts its [...]
We’re excited about the solution we offer because we think it has the potential to benefit millions of lives. We are confident that it is safe, and better for the environment than existing control methods. Introduction of any new technology could have unforeseen consequences – even something as widely accepted as the use of mobile [...]
Our approach has the potential to reduce the population of the Dengue-carrying mosquito to a level below which disease is not transmitted. That’s something which, despite the best efforts of Governments around the world, conventional methods have comprehensively failed to achieve. The result is that Dengue Fever now affects 50m people a year, and is [...]
Oxitec is pioneering a new solution to control harmful insect populations, including the mosquito which spreads Dengue Fever. 50 million people each year suffer from Dengue Fever – a debilitating and sometimes fatal disease also known as ‘break-bone fever’. That number is growing rapidly year on year; there are no vaccines or treatments, and current [...]
Oxitec and other independent researchers have demonstrated that the modified mosquitoes are similar to wild mosquitoes, except for the introduction of the novel genes and their effects on the mosquitoes. We are confident about their safety, but recognize that others may have concerns in this regard. Oxitec is committed to working with regulatory authorities to [...]
