Recently, scientists at the Imperial College in London found a way to engineer mosquitoes, bred in a lab setting, to no longer be capable of transmitting disease. Malaria, a disease commonly spread through mosquito bites, killed an estimated 800,000 people in 2009. The scientists found a way to alter the mosquito’s DNA to disable a trait that enables a mosquito to transmit such diseases.
The new challenge on the horizon for these scientists is finding a way to deliver this transformative gene to the species of mosquito that transmits malaria. Scientists are still studying methods for such, but the current progress made is a monumental milestone in the prevention of malaria.
Interested in teaching your students about bio-engineering? Check out http://www.ssrvideo.com/vol40.html#7.
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