Oxitec Explained

Oxitec
Industry:Biotechnology
Founded:Oxford, United Kingdom
Parent:Third Security

Oxitec is a UK-based, US-owned biotechnology company that develops genetically modified insects in order to improve public health and food security through insect control. The insects act as biological insecticides. Insects are controlled without the use of chemical insecticides. Instead, the insects are genetically engineered to be unable to produce offspring. The company claims that this technology is more effective than insecticides and more environmentally friendly.[1]

History

Oxitec was founded in 2002 as Oxford Insect Technologies in the United Kingdom by Luke Alphey and David Kelly, working with Oxford University's Isis Innovation technology transfer company.[2] In August 2015, Oxitec was purchased by U.S.-based Intrexon for $160 million,[3] [4] [5] and by US-based Third Security in early 2020.[6]

The company's first engineered insect was the pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella). It was experimentally released in Arizona in 2006.[7] It then modified Aedes egyptii, followed by a series of field trials in multiple countries.

Grey Frandsen was appointed CEO in 2017.[8] He is an American who led start-up initiatives in the U.S. government and the private and non-profit sectors on matters relating to national and global public health security, biotechnology and crisis response.[9] Frandsen led the company's transition to its 2nd generation technology in 2018.[10] [11] [12] During the 2010s, Oxitec established partnerships with agricultural industry[13] leaders and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[14] Frandsen was named one of Malaria No More's 10-to-End innovators in 2019.[15]

Genetically modified insects

See main article: Genetically modified insect. Oxitec's original insight was that genetically modifying insects could disrupt their ability to reproduce and over time, reduce their populations. Oxitec has developed genetically modified versions of A. aegypti, P. gossypiella.[16] [17]

Its OX513A strain alters males to produce protein tTA, which negatively affects cell development.[18]

OX5034 male offspring survive, allowing mating cycles that further reduce the population. In each generation fewer males pass on their self-limiting genes. OX5034 males were expected to disappear from the environment 10 generations after releases stop.[19]

Modified males mate with wild females. The self-limiting gene prevents female offspring from surviving. The engineered gene based on elements found in E. coli and the herpes simplex virus, causes the female offspring’s cells to produce tTAV protein.[20]

Projects

Grand Cayman

The first field trials were performed on Grand Cayman, starting in 2009. Approximately 3.3 million transgenic male A. aegypti were released. The experiments demonstrated that the animals were able to survive in this environment and produce offspring. Some eleven weeks after the release, the observed A. aegypti population declined about 80%. The tests were deemed a scientific success, but criticism emerged over communication policy.[21] In May 2016 Grand Cayman announced a program to use Oxitec mosquitoes. The first phase informed the community about the programme. The next phase treated an area with about 1,800 residents in West Bay. 88% fewer A. aegypti eggs were observed compared to an equivalent untreated area.[22] [23] [24]

In November 2018, the Cayman Islands government elected to cease any new field trial agreements with Oxitec, citing cost-benefit concerns with the technologies as the primary concern.[25] Health Minister Dwayne Seymour and other legislators expressed skepticism on-the-record about the trials' effectiveness.[26] However, Oxitec and the Mosquito Research and Control Unit of the Cayman Islands continue to analyze the data collected over the 10 year project.[27]

Brazil

In 2011 Oxitec conducted a field test in cooperation with the company Moscamed and the University of São Paulo. The observed population declined by 80–95%.[28] [29]

In July 2015, Oxitec released results of a test in the Juazeiro region of Brazil to fight Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses. They concluded that mosquito populations were reduced by about 95%.[30] [31] It was used to try to combat Zika in Piracicaba, São Paulo in 2016.[32]

A 2013 OX513A project in Jacobina in the state of Bahia Some 450,000 males were released every week for 27 months. Wild populations were studied before the program began and at intervals of 6, 12 and 27 to 30 months.[33]

Another OX513A field test began on 23 May 2018 in Indaiatuba, a municipality in the state of São Paulo. The company announced the trial's results in June 2019, reporting that the project reduced the mosquito population by 79%.[34]

A 2019 outside study reported that genes characteristic of the altered males had entered the wild population. Oxitec put out a statement, citing concern with the paper's "misleading and speculative statements". The company's statement included rebuttals directed of some of its claims. All of these were confirmed by Scientific Reports and Nature Magazine in March 2020 in an Editorial Expression of Concern.[35] [36]

It was reported that some of the authors claimed that they had not approved the version that was submitted for publication. Several critics responded to the paper,[37] including entomologist Jason Rasgon of Pennsylvania State University, who stated that the finding was important, but that some claims were overstated and irresponsible.[38]

A 2018-2019 Indaiatuba study of four densely populated neighborhoods with high levels of Aedes aegypti reported that mosquito populations declined an average 88 percent over 11 months in those neighborhoods. In two, scientists released 100 male mosquito eggs per resident per week and 500 in the others, reporting that the smaller numbers were as effective as the higher ones. Boxes filled with eggs are available for home and business use.

Malaysia

Field trials were carried out in Malaysia in 2015.[39]

Panama

Field trials were conducted in Panama in 2016.[40]

United States

Arizona

The company released an engineered pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) in Arizona in 2006.

Florida

A 2016 field trial planned in Florida was cancelled.[41] [42] [43]

Oxitec was invited to the Florida Keys in the early 2010s.[44] The company conducted extensive community engagement.[45] [46] [47] A November 2016 referendum showed overwhelming local support for the project to release genetically engineered male mosquitos. 31 out of 33 Monroe County precincts voted in favor.[48] [49] [50] The company established waitlists due to resident interest in hosting mosquito boxes.[51] [52]

Some residents opposed the project, worrying about bites by the mosquitoes (male mosquitoes do not have the mouthparts to bite). Others were unhappy about becoming a test site, with some threatening to derail the experiments by filling the mosquito boxes with bleach.

In 2020, Oxitec's OX5034 mosquito was approved for release by state and federal authorities for use in Florida.[53] In April 2021, boxes containing mosquito eggs were placed at six locations. Once they hatched, about 12,000 males were expected weekly over the following 12 weeks, totaling 144k. In the second phase, nearly 20 million mosquitoes were expected over 16 weeks.[54] In 2022, 5 million mosquitoes were released. All female offspring that inherited the lethal gene were reported to have died before reaching adulthood. The company also reported that spread of the related mutations was limited to a small area.[55]

California

In 2022, EPA officials approved the release of 2.4 billion males of A. aegypti in California's Central Valley through 2024. The project is a partnership with the Delta Mosquito and Vector Control district in Tulare county. It awaits approval by California pesticide regulators. Specimens cannot be released near any potential tetracycline sources (which allows females to develop), or within 500 meters of wastewater treatment facilities, commercial citrus, apple, pear, nectarine, peach growing areas, or livestock. Opponents include Friends of the Earth, the Institute for Responsible Tech and the Center for Food Safety who object to the lack of public data on the Florida trial and the technique's experimental status. Specimens have been identified in 21 of California's 58 counties.[56]

In 2022 Oxitec was seeking approval for a pilot release.

Regulation

OX513A was approved by Brazil's National Biosecurity Technical Commission (CTNBio) in April 2014.[57] In January 2016 Brazil's National Biosafety Committee approved the release Oxitec mosquitos throughout their country.

Brazil's health-regulatory agency, Anvisa, declared on 12 April 2016 that it would regulate Oxitec's mosquitoes. Anvisa announced that it was creating a legal framework for regulations. It requested Oxitec to demonstrate that its technology was safe and could reduce the transmission of mosquito-borne viruses.[58]

In 2020 Brazilian Biosafety Regulatory Authority CTNBio granted full commercial biosafety approval for Oxitec’s mosquitoes.[59] [60]

Oxitec’s Florida Keys project was approved by federal and state regulators, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). In August 2020, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) Board of Commissioners approved the project.[61] [62]

The Netherlands agreed to release Oxitec's genetically modified mosquitoes to fight dengue fever, chikungunya and zika in Saba, a Dutch Caribbean island, after a report by The National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)[63] examined the effects that these mosquitoes could have in the local ecosystem and concluded the release of the mosquitoes would not pose risks to human health or the environment.

The French High Council for Biology supported Oxitec mosquito releases in 2017.[64]

Criticism

A 2019 study claimed that Oxitec's first generation A. aegypti (the redundant OX513A) had successfully hybridized with the local A. aegypti population. It was challenged by Oxitec and most of the study's co-authors. The study was found to be purely speculative and is now marked by its publisher with an Editorial Expression of Concern.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Oxitec approach. https://web.archive.org/web/20140418220936/http://www.oxitec.com/health/our-solution/ . 2014-04-18 . Oxitec.
  2. News: Solon . O . 25 April 2012. Oxford academics tentatively embrace startup culture. Wired UK. 22 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150910092847/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-04/24/silicon-spires. 10 September 2015. dead.
  3. News: Nickel . R . 15 September 2015. Market turbulence or not, North American investors plow into farm tech. Reuters. 9 October 2015.
  4. Web site: Oxford spinout Oxitec sold to Intrexon Corporation for $160 million . 2019-01-17 . Oxford University Innovation.
  5. Web site: Biotech spin-out to be sold for $160 million University of Oxford . 2019-01-17 . www.ox.ac.uk . 10 August 2015 . en.
  6. Intrexon to Achieve $175M Cash Goal, Appoints Helen Sabzevari, PHD, as New President and CEO and Will Change Name to Precigen to Reflect Healthcare Focus.
  7. 6 . Simmons GS, McKemey AR, Morrison NI, O'Connell S, Tabashnik BE, Claus J, Fu G, Tang G, Sledge M, Walker AS, Phillips CE, Miller ED, Rose RI, Staten RT, Donnelly CA, Alphey L . 2011-09-13 . Field performance of a genetically engineered strain of pink bollworm . PLOS ONE . 6 . 9 . e24110 . 2011PLoSO...624110S . 10.1371/journal.pone.0024110 . 3172240 . 21931649 . free.
  8. Web site: Our Company. Oxitec. 13 August 2019. 13 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190813224904/https://www.oxitec.com/our-company. dead.
  9. Web site: Biography of Grey Frandsen Special Assistant to the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS).
  10. Web site: Oxitec Transitioning Friendly Self-limiting Mosquitoes to 2nd Generation Technology Platform, Paving Way to New Scalability, Performance and Cost Breakthroughs. Oxitec. 28 November 2018 .
  11. Web site: Oxitec Signs New Multi-year Development Agreement to Apply 2nd Generation Technology to Control Soybean Looper. Oxitec. 16 April 2019 .
  12. Web site: Oxitec's new Friendly mosquitoes: could they unlock new possibilities in the fight against dengue?. July 9, 2019. Break Dengue.
  13. Web site: Oxitec Advances Self-Limiting Fall Armyworm Control Solution to Next Phase of Development. Oxitec. 13 August 2019. 13 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190813224905/https://www.oxitec.com/news/oxitec-advances-self-limiting-fall-armyworm-control-solution-to-next-phase-of-development. dead.
  14. Web site: Oxitec to Develop 2nd Friendly Mosquito Strain Designed to Combat Malaria-Spreading Mosquitoes. Oxitec. 18 October 2018 .
  15. Web site: MALARIA NO MORE HONORS INNOVATORS AND IDEAS HELPING TO MAKE THE END OF MALARIA POSSIBLE IN OUR LIFETIMES. June 19, 2019.
  16. News: Free S . 16 May 2015. Can genetically modified mosquitoes curb Dengue fever?. PBS NewsHour. 22 May 2015.
  17. News: Jennings C . 28 April 2015. Mosquitoes Really Do Prefer Some People to Others, Say Scientists. Newsweek. 22 May 2015.
  18. Evans BR, Kotsakiozi P, Costa-da-Silva AL, Ioshino RS, Garziera L, Pedrosa MC, Malavasi A, Virginio JF, Capurro ML, Powell JR . 6 . Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Transfer Genes into a Natural Population . Scientific Reports . 9 . 1 . 13047 . September 2019 . 31506595 . 6736937 . 10.1038/s41598-019-49660-6 . 2019NatSR...913047E .
  19. News: 2018-05-25 . Oxitec Launches Field Trial in Brazil for Next Generation Addition to Friendly Mosquitoes Platform - Oxitec . en-US . Oxitec . 2018-07-13.
  20. Mullin . Emily . November 21, 2022 . Turns Out Fighting Mosquitoes With Mosquitoes Actually Works . en-US . Wired . 2022-12-08 . 1059-1028.
  21. Subbaraman . Nidhi . January 2011 . Science snipes at Oxitec transgenic-mosquito trial . Nature Biotechnology . 29 . 1 . 9–10 . 10.1038/nbt0111-9a . 21221085 . 205264967 . 1087-0156.
  22. Web site: Taking a swat at Cayman's mosquitoes. 2017-01-26. Cayman Compass. 2017-09-01.
  23. Web site: Press Release: Grand Cayman will use Oxitec solution to suppress wild Aedes aegypti, the mosquito species that spreads dengue, Zika and chikungunya, in an effort to help eliminate these diseases Oxitec. www.oxitec.com. 2016-05-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20160603103650/http://www.oxitec.com/grand-cayman-use-oxitec-solution-suppress-wild-aedes-aegypti/. 2016-06-03. dead.
  24. Web site: Islandwide GM mosquito release approved. Whittaker J . 2017-06-15. Cayman Compass. 2017-09-01.
  25. Web site: 14 November 2018 . GM mosquito release halted | Cayman Compass . Whittaker J.
  26. Web site: 26 November 2018 . Minister: No more funds for genetically modified mosquito program | Cayman Compass . Whittaker J.
  27. Web site: 6 February 2019 . Joint mosquito research project comes to a close | Cayman Compass . Fordin S.
  28. Carvalho DO, McKemey AR, Garziera L, Lacroix R, Donnelly CA, Alphey L, Malavasi A, Capurro ML . 6 . Suppression of a Field Population of Aedes aegypti in Brazil by Sustained Release of Transgenic Male Mosquitoes . PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases . 9 . 7 . e0003864 . 2 July 2015 . 26135160 . 4489809 . 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003864 . free .
  29. Specter . Michael . 2012-07-02 . The Mosquito Solution . 2022-11-23 . The New Yorker . en-US.
  30. News: 2016 . Here's how GM mosquitos with 'self-destruct' genes could save us from Zika virus . The Washington Post .
  31. Web site: 2015 . Press release: Oxitec mosquito works to control Aedes aegypti in dengue hotspot . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160203083908/http://www.oxitec.com/press-release-oxitec-mosquito-works-to-control-aedes-aegypti-in-dengue-hotspo/ . 2016-02-03 . 2016-01-29 . Oxitec.
  32. News: 30 January 2016 . New Weapon to Fight Zika: The Mosquito . New York Times . 16 March 2016 . Pollack A.
  33. Web site: 2019-09-13 . Failed GM mosquito control experiment may have strengthened wild bugs . 2019-09-15 . New Atlas . en.
  34. Web site: Oxitec Successfully Completes First Field Deployment of 2nd Generation Friendly Aedes aegypti Technology . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190813224907/https://www.oxitec.com/news/oxitec-successfully-completes-first-field-deployment-of-2nd-generation-friendly-aedes-aegypti-technology . 2019-08-13 . 2019-08-13 . Oxitec.
  35. Web site: Oxitec responds to article entitled 'Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Transfer Genes into a Natural Population' . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190920065749/https://www.oxitec.com/news/oxitec-response-scientific-reports-article . 2019-09-20 . 2019-09-24.
  36. 6 . Evans BR, Kotsakiozi P, Costa-da-Silva AL, Ioshino RS, Garziera L, Pedrosa MC, Malavasi A, Virginio JF, Capurro ML, Powell JR . March 2020 . Editorial Expression of Concern: Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Transfer Genes into a Natural Population . Scientific Reports . 10 . 1 . 5524 . 2020NatSR..10.5524E . 10.1038/s41598-020-62398-w . 7093417 . 32210318.
  37. Leftwich PT, Spurgin LG, Harvey-Samuel T, Thomas CJ, Paladino LC, Edgington MP, Alphey L . February 2021 . Genetic pest management and the background genetics of release strains . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences . 376 . 1818 . 20190805 . 10.1098/rstb.2019.0805 . 7776934 . 33357053 . free.
  38. Servick K . 17 September 2019 . Study on DNA spread by genetically modified mosquitoes prompts backlash . Science . 10.1126/science.aaz5392 . 203891849.
  39. Web site: Oxitec's Genetically Modified Mosquitoes: A Credible Approach to Dengue Fever? . March 2015.
  40. Web site: Panama trial begins. 2016-03-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20160309110926/http://www.oxitec.com/panama-trial-begins/. 2016-03-09. dead.
  41. Web site: Genetically Engineered Animals - Oxitec Mosquito. 2017-02-05. US Food and Drug Administration; Animal and Veterinary. en. 2017-09-01.
  42. Web site: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) In Support of an Investigational Field Trial of OX513A Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes. US FDA. 14 March 2016. March 2016.
  43. Web site: Oxitec reveals new technology up for EPA consideration. 11 September 2019.
  44. Web site: GMO mosquitoes in the Florida Keys: Q & A Miami Herald . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210517210849/https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article251031419.html . 2021-05-17 . Miami Herald.
  45. Web site: Keys Mosquito Project . Keys Mosquito Project.
  46. Web site: 19 July 2021 . Yes, genetically modified mosquitoes do exist, but they don't bite and aren't harmful to humans .
  47. Web site: Staver . Anna . Fact check: Genetically modified mosquitoes are cleared for release in the US . USA TODAY.
  48. Web site: Florida Keys voters favor GMO mosquito release experiment Miami Herald . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161110170612/http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/election/article113478728.html . 2016-11-10 . Miami Herald.
  49. Web site: About Our Work | Florida Keys Mosquito Project | Oxitec - FKMCD . Keys Mosquito Project.
  50. Web site: Past County Results 2009 - Current. www.keys-elections.org.
  51. Web site: 27 May 2021 . Mosquitoes are deadly pests, genetically-modified mosquitoes could help stop disease .
  52. Web site: Join The Project | Florida Keys Mosquito Project | Oxitec - FKMCD. Keys Mosquito Project.
  53. Web site: June 18, 2020 . Genetically engineered mosquitoes get EPA approval for Florida release . 2020-06-21 . CNN . LaMotte S.
  54. Waltz E . 2021-05-03 . First genetically modified mosquitoes released in the United States . Nature . en . 593 . 7858 . 175–176 . 2021Natur.593..175W . 10.1038/d41586-021-01186-6 . 33976429 . 234472344.
  55. Waltz . Emily . 2022-04-18 . Biotech firm announces results from first US trial of genetically modified mosquitoes . Nature . 604 . 7907 . 608–609 . en . 10.1038/d41586-022-01070-x . 35437323. 2022Natur.604..608W . 248242083 . free .
  56. Web site: Canon . Gabrielle . 2022-03-26 . US poised to release 2.4bn genetically modified male mosquitoes to battle deadly diseases . 2022-03-28 . the Guardian . en.
  57. Web site: Tracy . Thompson. Oxitec's solution for controlling the dengue mosquito is approved by CTNBio. https://web.archive.org/web/20160301083503/http://www.oxitec.com/press-release-high-tech-solution-for-controlling-the-dengue-mosquito-is-approved-by-ctnbio/ . 2016-03-01 . 11 April 2014.
  58. Jose Lopes R . Why transgenic insects are still not ready for prime time . Nature . 22 April 2016 . 10.1038/nature.2016.19804 . 211730257 .
  59. Web site: Oxitec's New Friendly Aedes aegypti Mosquito Technology Receives Full Biosafety Approval in Brazil. 27 May 2020 .
  60. Web site: EXTRATO DE PARECER TÉCNICO Nº 6.946/2020 - DOU - Imprensa Nacional. Imprensa. Nacional. www.in.gov.br.
  61. Web site: Landmark Project to Control Disease Carrying Mosquitoes Kicks Off in the Florida Keys. Oxitec. 29 April 2021 .
  62. Web site: Pesticide Program Update: EPA Approves Experimental Use Permit to Test Innovative Biopesticide Tool to Better Protect Public Health. U.S. EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
  63. Web site: Technical evaluation of a potential release of OX513A Aedes aegypti mosquitos on the island of Saba . Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu .
  64. News: Update: France and the Netherlands deem Oxitec's GM Mosquitoes Safe. Fernandez CR. 2017-07-12. Labiotech. 2017-09-01. en-US. 1 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170901195825/http://labiotech.eu/genetically-modified-mosquitoes-oxitec-netherlands/. dead.

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