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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
