Oxitec
IndustryBiotechnology
FoundedOxford, United Kingdom (2002 (2002))
Key people
  • Luke Alphey (Founder), Grey Frandsen (CEO)
ParentThird Security
Websiteoxitec.com

Oxitec is a UK-based, US-owned biotechnology company that develops genetically modified insects[1] 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.[2]

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.[3] In August 2015, Oxitec was purchased by U.S.-based Intrexon for $160 million,[4][5][6] and by US-based Third Security in early 2020.[7]

The company's first engineered insect was the pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella). It was experimentally released in Arizona in 2006.[8] It then modified Aedes egyptii, followed by a series of field trials in multiple countries.

Grey Frandsen was appointed CEO in 2017.[9] 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.[10] Frandsen led the company's transition to its 2nd generation technology in 2018.[11][12][13] During the 2010s, Oxitec established partnerships with agricultural industry[14] leaders and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[15] Frandsen was named one of Malaria No More's 10-to-End innovators in 2019.[16]

Genetically modified insects

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.[17][18]

Its OX513A strain alters males to produce protein tTA, which negatively affects cell development.[19]

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.[20]

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.[21]

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.[22] 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.[23][24][25]

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.[26] Health Minister Dwayne Seymour and other legislators expressed skepticism on-the-record about the trials' effectiveness.[27] However, Oxitec and the Mosquito Research and Control Unit of the Cayman Islands continue to analyze the data collected over the 10 year project.[28]

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%.[29][30]

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%.[31][32] It was used to try to combat Zika in Piracicaba, São Paulo in 2016.[33]

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.[34]

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%.[35]

A 2019 outside study reported that genes characteristic of the altered males had entered the wild population.[19] 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.[36][37]

It was reported that some of the authors claimed that they had not approved the version that was submitted for publication.[37] Several critics responded to the paper,[38] including entomologist Jason Rasgon of Pennsylvania State University, who stated that the finding was important, but that some claims were overstated and irresponsible.[39]

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.[21]

Malaysia

Field trials were carried out in Malaysia in 2015.[40]

Panama

Field trials were conducted in Panama in 2016.[41]

United States

Arizona

The company released an engineered pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) in Arizona in 2006.[8]

Florida

A 2016 field trial planned in Florida was cancelled.[42][43][44]

Oxitec was invited to the Florida Keys in the early 2010s.[45] The company conducted extensive community engagement.[46][47][48] 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.[49][50][51] The company established waitlists due to resident interest in hosting mosquito boxes.[52][53]

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.[54] 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.[55] 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.[56]

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.[57]

In 2022 Oxitec was seeking approval for a pilot release.[21]

Regulation

OX513A was approved by Brazil's National Biosecurity Technical Commission (CTNBio) in April 2014.[58] In January 2016 Brazil's National Biosafety Committee approved the release Oxitec mosquitos throughout their country. [31][32]

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.[59]

In 2020 Brazilian Biosafety Regulatory Authority CTNBio granted full commercial biosafety approval for Oxitec’s mosquitoes.[60][61]

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.[62][63]

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)[64] 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.[65]

The French High Council for Biology supported Oxitec mosquito releases in 2017.[65]

Criticism

A 2019 study claimed that Oxitec's first generation A. aegypti (the redundant OX513A) had successfully hybridized with the local A. aegypti population.[19] 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.[37]

See also

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "The Oxitec approach". Oxitec. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014.
  3. ↑ Solon, O (25 April 2012). "Oxford academics tentatively embrace startup culture". Wired UK. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  4. ↑ Nickel, R (15 September 2015). "Market turbulence or not, North American investors plow into farm tech". Reuters. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "Oxford spinout Oxitec sold to Intrexon Corporation for $160 million". Oxford University Innovation. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  6. ↑ "Biotech spin-out to be sold for $160 million | University of Oxford". www.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  7. ↑ "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".
  8. 1 2 Simmons GS, McKemey AR, Morrison NI, O'Connell S, Tabashnik BE, Claus J, et al. (13 September 2011). "Field performance of a genetically engineered strain of pink bollworm". PLOS ONE. 6 (9): e24110. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...624110S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0024110. PMC 3172240. PMID 21931649.
  9. ↑ "Our Company". Oxitec.
  10. ↑ "Biography of Grey Frandsen Special Assistant to the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS)".
  11. ↑ "Oxitec Transitioning Friendly Self-limiting Mosquitoes to 2nd Generation Technology Platform, Paving Way to New Scalability, Performance and Cost Breakthroughs". Oxitec.
  12. ↑ "Oxitec Signs New Multi-year Development Agreement to Apply 2nd Generation Technology to Control Soybean Looper". Oxitec.
  13. ↑ "Oxitec's new Friendly mosquitoes: could they unlock new possibilities in the fight against dengue?". Break Dengue. 9 July 2019.
  14. ↑ "Oxitec Advances Self-Limiting Fall Armyworm Control Solution to Next Phase of Development". Oxitec.
  15. ↑ "Oxitec to Develop 2nd Friendly Mosquito Strain Designed to Combat Malaria-Spreading Mosquitoes". Oxitec.
  16. ↑ "MALARIA NO MORE HONORS INNOVATORS AND IDEAS HELPING TO MAKE THE END OF MALARIA POSSIBLE IN OUR LIFETIMES". 19 June 2019.
  17. ↑ Free S (16 May 2015). "Can genetically modified mosquitoes curb Dengue fever?". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  18. ↑ Jennings C (28 April 2015). "Mosquitoes Really Do Prefer Some People to Others, Say Scientists". Newsweek. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  19. 1 2 3 Evans BR, Kotsakiozi P, Costa-da-Silva AL, Ioshino RS, Garziera L, Pedrosa MC, et al. (September 2019). "Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Transfer Genes into a Natural Population". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 13047. Bibcode:2019NatSR...913047E. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-49660-6. PMC 6736937. PMID 31506595.
  20. ↑ "Oxitec Launches Field Trial in Brazil for Next Generation Addition to Friendly Mosquitoes Platform - Oxitec". Oxitec. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  21. 1 2 3 Mullin, Emily (21 November 2022). "Turns Out Fighting Mosquitoes With Mosquitoes Actually Works". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  22. ↑ Subbaraman, Nidhi (January 2011). "Science snipes at Oxitec transgenic-mosquito trial". Nature Biotechnology. 29 (1): 9–10. doi:10.1038/nbt0111-9a. ISSN 1087-0156. PMID 21221085. S2CID 205264967.
  23. ↑ "Taking a swat at Cayman's mosquitoes". Cayman Compass. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  24. ↑ "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. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  25. ↑ Whittaker J (15 June 2017). "Islandwide GM mosquito release approved". Cayman Compass. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  26. ↑ Whittaker J (14 November 2018). "GM mosquito release halted | Cayman Compass".
  27. ↑ Whittaker J (26 November 2018). "Minister: No more funds for genetically modified mosquito program | Cayman Compass".
  28. ↑ Fordin S (6 February 2019). "Joint mosquito research project comes to a close | Cayman Compass".
  29. ↑ Carvalho DO, McKemey AR, Garziera L, Lacroix R, Donnelly CA, Alphey L, et al. (2 July 2015). "Suppression of a Field Population of Aedes aegypti in Brazil by Sustained Release of Transgenic Male Mosquitoes". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 9 (7): e0003864. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0003864. PMC 4489809. PMID 26135160.
  30. ↑ Specter, Michael (2 July 2012). "The Mosquito Solution". The New Yorker. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  31. 1 2 "Here's how GM mosquitos with 'self-destruct' genes could save us from Zika virus". The Washington Post. 2016.
  32. 1 2 "Press release: Oxitec mosquito works to control Aedes aegypti in dengue hotspot". Oxitec. 2015. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  33. ↑ Pollack A (30 January 2016). "New Weapon to Fight Zika: The Mosquito". New York Times. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  34. ↑ "Failed GM mosquito control experiment may have strengthened wild bugs". New Atlas. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  35. ↑ "Oxitec Successfully Completes First Field Deployment of 2nd Generation Friendly Aedes aegypti Technology". Oxitec. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  36. ↑ "Oxitec responds to article entitled 'Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Transfer Genes into a Natural Population'". Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  37. 1 2 3 Evans BR, Kotsakiozi P, Costa-da-Silva AL, Ioshino RS, Garziera L, Pedrosa MC, et al. (March 2020). "Editorial Expression of Concern: Transgenic Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Transfer Genes into a Natural Population". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 5524. Bibcode:2020NatSR..10.5524E. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-62398-w. PMC 7093417. PMID 32210318.
  38. ↑ 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. doi:10.1098/rstb.2019.0805. PMC 7776934. PMID 33357053.
  39. ↑ Servick K (17 September 2019). "Study on DNA spread by genetically modified mosquitoes prompts backlash". Science. doi:10.1126/science.aaz5392. S2CID 203891849.
  40. ↑ "Oxitec's Genetically Modified Mosquitoes: A Credible Approach to Dengue Fever?" (PDF). March 2015.
  41. ↑ "Panama trial begins". Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  42. ↑ "Genetically Engineered Animals - Oxitec Mosquito". US Food and Drug Administration; Animal and Veterinary. 5 February 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  43. ↑ "Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) In Support of an Investigational Field Trial of OX513A Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes" (PDF). US FDA. March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  44. ↑ "Oxitec reveals new technology up for EPA consideration". 11 September 2019.
  45. ↑ "GMO mosquitoes in the Florida Keys: Q & A | Miami Herald". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021.
  46. ↑ "Keys Mosquito Project". Keys Mosquito Project.
  47. ↑ "Yes, genetically modified mosquitoes do exist, but they don't bite and aren't harmful to humans". 19 July 2021.
  48. ↑ Staver, Anna. "Fact check: Genetically modified mosquitoes are cleared for release in the US". USA TODAY.
  49. ↑ "Florida Keys voters favor GMO mosquito release experiment | Miami Herald". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016.
  50. ↑ "About Our Work | Florida Keys Mosquito Project | Oxitec - FKMCD". Keys Mosquito Project.
  51. ↑ "Past County Results 2009 - Current".
  52. ↑ "Mosquitoes are deadly pests, genetically-modified mosquitoes could help stop disease". 27 May 2021.
  53. ↑ "Join the Project | Florida Keys Mosquito Project | Oxitec - FKMCD".
  54. ↑ LaMotte S (18 June 2020). "Genetically engineered mosquitoes get EPA approval for Florida release". CNN. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  55. ↑ Waltz E (3 May 2021). "First genetically modified mosquitoes released in the United States". Nature. 593 (7858): 175–176. Bibcode:2021Natur.593..175W. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01186-6. PMID 33976429. S2CID 234472344.
  56. ↑ Waltz, Emily (18 April 2022). "Biotech firm announces results from first US trial of genetically modified mosquitoes". Nature. 604 (7907): 608–609. Bibcode:2022Natur.604..608W. doi:10.1038/d41586-022-01070-x. PMID 35437323. S2CID 248242083.
  57. ↑ Canon, Gabrielle (26 March 2022). "US poised to release 2.4bn genetically modified male mosquitoes to battle deadly diseases". the Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  58. ↑ Thompson, Tracy (11 April 2014). "Oxitec's solution for controlling the dengue mosquito is approved by CTNBio". Archived from the original on 1 March 2016.
  59. ↑ Jose Lopes R (22 April 2016). "Why transgenic insects are still not ready for prime time". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2016.19804. S2CID 211730257.
  60. ↑ "Oxitec's New Friendly Aedes aegypti Mosquito Technology Receives Full Biosafety Approval in Brazil".
  61. ↑ Nacional, Imprensa. "EXTRATO DE PARECER TÉCNICO Nº 6.946/2020 - DOU - Imprensa Nacional". www.in.gov.br.
  62. ↑ "Landmark Project to Control Disease Carrying Mosquitoes Kicks Off in the Florida Keys". Oxitec.
  63. ↑ "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.
  64. ↑ "Technical evaluation of a potential release of OX513A Aedes aegypti mosquitos on the island of Saba". Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu.
  65. 1 2 Fernandez CR (12 July 2017). "Update: France and the Netherlands deem Oxitec's GM Mosquitoes Safe". Labiotech. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
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