Grantee Research Project Results

2024 Progress Report: Development of a Data-Driven Model for Assessing Benefits and Risks of the pgSIT Approach for Ae. aegypti Eradication in Hawaii

EPA Grant Number: R840204
Title: Development of a Data-Driven Model for Assessing Benefits and Risks of the pgSIT Approach for Ae. aegypti Eradication in Hawaii
Investigators: Akbari, Omar , Lee, Yoosook , Marshall, John
Institution: University of California San Diego , University of California - Berkeley , University of Florida
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: July 1, 2021 through May 10, 2025
Project Period Covered by this Report: July 1, 2023 through June 30,2024
Project Amount: $749,887
RFA: Assessment Tools for Biotechnology Products (2020) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Safer Chemicals , Chemical Safety for Sustainability

Objective:

The successful application of a synthetic sterile insect technique (SIT) technology, precision guided SIT (pgSIT), in the Hawaii region could eliminate the Aedes aegypti mosquito vector responsible for dengue outbreaks in the region. This novel technology may also have positive environmental impacts by reducing insecticide or insect growth hormone-based usage that also impacts other native insect taxa in the region. However, before this work makes it to the field, we need a robust, data-driven modeling framework that will accurately predict the outcome of pgSIT release scenarios so we can inform stakeholders involved in approving this product for field use. The objective of this work is to generate data-driven tools and surveillance technologies to predict the behavior of a synthetic pgSIT technology to support technological risk assessments and future field releases.

Progress Summary:

We have developed a CRISPR-based system, termed Sensitive Enzymatic Nucleic-acid Sequence Reporter (SENSR), to effectively detect virus and transgenic pgSIT mosquitoes within 20 minutes. This SENSR system can be used to support pgSIT monitoring programs.

Accurate modeling of pgSIT performance and risk requires evaluation of mosquito life history, population connectivity, size, and movement. We collected mosquitoes to evaluate the life history characteristics of Hawaiian Aedes mosquitoes. We have generated genomic data to analyze mosquito population structure and migration, which will allow us to infer movement patterns for Aedes mosquitoes and predict potential resistance to the technology in the population. These data will support a model to assess pgSIT performance in wild Hawaiian populations and a risk assessment of this technology.

Future Activities:

Continuing to test and optimize the SENSR technology for pathogen and transgene identification.
Complete collection of mosquito life history parameters for the Hawaiian strain
Complete analysis to determine population structure and the genetic exchange rate between islands
Continue to collect biotic and abiotic environmental data (meteorological + landscape) and assess the relationship of these variables to the relative density of Aedes mosquitoes
Conduct modeling to build confined small-scale field pgSIT release scenarios in Hawaii.
Risk assessments to address gaps in knowledge for further study.

Journal Articles on this Report : 2 Displayed | Download in RIS Format

Publications Views
Other project views:	All 7 publications	5 publications in selected types	All 5 journal articles

Publications
Type	Citation	Project	Document Sources
Journal Article	Raban R, Marshall JM, Hay BA, Akbari OS. Manipulating the destiny of wild populations using CRISPR. Annual review of genetics 2023;57(1):361-90.	R840204 (2024)	Full-text: Annual Review- Full Text HTML Exit Abstract: PubMed Abstract HTML
Journal Article	Li M, Kandul NP, Sun R, Yang T, Benetta ED, Brogan DJ, Antoshechkin I, Sánchez C HM, Zhan Y, DeBeaubien NA, Loh YM. Targeting sex determination to suppress mosquito populations. Elife 2024;12.	R840204 (2024)	Full-text: eLife- Full Text HTML Exit Abstract: Pubmed Abstract HTML

Supplemental Keywords:

mosquito control, CRISPR-Cas9 technologies, synthetic biology, risk assessment, modeling, monitoring, Hawaii (HI), entomology, ecology, environmental, genetics, population genetics

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.