The competent national biosafety authority in Burkina Faso, Agence Nationale de Biosécurité (ANB), has approved an application for contained use of a strain of non-gene drive genetically modified (GM) male bias mosquitoes. The authorization was granted last July, following an application from the national health research institute, Institute de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), to conduct contained use experiments in the Arthropod Containment Level 2 Insectary at the IRSS Western Regional Office on a strain of non-gene drive GM male bias mosquitoes. The approval does not include any environmental release.

In this research and development project, IRSS is partnering since the outset with Target Malaria, a consortium focusing on malaria control and dedicated to emerging gene technologies as complementary means for combating the disease.

The non-gene drive GM male bias mosquito corresponds to the second phase of research for Target Malaria in Burkina Faso. It is not yet a vector control tool per se, but a phase in the project development pathway. The male mosquitoes that will be used are fertile and are genetically modified to produce up to 95% of male offspring in laboratory. In this phase of the project, the GM mosquitoes do not carry the gene drive technology. The mosquito eggs will be imported from Polo d’Innovazione di Genomica, Genetica e Biologia (PoloI GGB) in Italy.

In the contained insectary, researchers will study what happens when these male mosquitoes mate with local wild-type females. This could confirm if the modification works as intended, i.e if more male than female offspring are produced. It will help generate valuable information on the development and the behavior of this type of mosquito. The experiments are planned to last several months and will take place entirely at the Level 2 Insectary of IRSS in the Western Region of Burkina Faso.

With respect to the regulation of biotechnology and other emerging gene technologies like gene drive and gene editing, AUDA-NEPAD provides technical support to national biosafety authorities to strengthen their capacity and help AU Member States safely utilize these new techniques for their development.