Genetically modified mosquito larvae will be released in the US. Oxitec has previously released the aegypti Aedes mosquito in Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Panama and Malaysia, and the company has reported that the local strain of A. aegypti has reduced by at least 90%. A. aegypti can carry diseases such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever, and the release of genetically modified mosquitoes is one way to control this population without the use of insecticides. Oxitec’s genetically engineered mosquitoes are male, engineered to carry lethal genes; When genetically modified pests mate with wild female mosquitoes, the lethal gene is passed on to their offspring. Although the gene does not affect the survival of males, it prevents females from building an essential protein and thus causes them to die before adulthood. Only female mosquitoes bite humans (male mosquitoes only drink nectar), so denatured mosquitoes and their surviving males cannot transmit disease to humans. A. aegypti mosquitoes make up about 4% of all mosquitoes in the Florida Keys but cause the majority of mosquito-borne diseases in the area. The region typically spends $1 million a year on mosquito control, resorting to costly measures such as aerial spraying. Release of hundreds of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes could be a less expensive and more effective option, especially as mosquito populations become resistant to pesticides over time. Oxitec was approached by the local government in 2010, and after a decade of regulatory review and local feedback, both the board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finally approved the plan. Release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Keys. At the end of April, the company placed boxes of mosquito eggs at six locations in Cudjoe Key, Ramrod Key and Vaca Key, according to Nature. Over the next 12 weeks, about 12,000 newly hatched male mosquitoes will emerge from the box. This will be an initial test so Oxitec can collect data before conducting a second test with nearly 20 million mosquitoes later this year. The company will capture mosquitoes during the test to see how far the insects travel from their boxes, how long they live, and whether female mosquitoes actually pick up the lethal gene and die. To make it easier to track genetically engineered mosquitoes, Oxitec introduced a gene that causes the mosquitoes to glow under a specific color of light. The experiment was met with strong opposition from a small portion of Florida Keys residents, as well as the Florida Keys Environmental Alliance and Food Safety Center. Concerned that the boxes of mosquito eggs could be vandalized, Oxitec placed them in a secret place and did not reveal their exact location to the public. Questions remain as to whether genetically modified mosquitoes cause undesirable effects on mosquitoes, local animals, or the ecosystem at large. For example, after Oxitec released genetically modified mosquitoes in Jacobina, Brazil, genes from the insect were mutilated in local mosquito populations, suggesting that the lethal gene failed to kill some females before they can mate. According to a 2019 study published in the journal Scientific Reports, their hybrids did not carry the lethal gene, but instead carried genes from the original Cuban and Mexican mosquito populations used to create the modified mosquitoes. genes. It is unclear whether these new genes may have changed the biology of the mosquito. Molecular biologist Natalie Kofler, founder of E Edit Nature, an organization that advocates for the responsible use of gene editing, told Nature she hopes the Oxitec test will be conducted in a transparent and in a way that might make some community members feel better about the whole situation.

An individual Aedes aegypti mosquito captured in Costa Rica (Image: Reuters) Proposed by the Florida Keys Mosquito Control Authority (FKMCD) and Oxitec – a British biotechnology company supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – this project aims to release large numbers of volatile mosquitoes. genetically modified in the Florida Keys this week; the two organizations said in a joint statement. As the first step of the plan, mosquito bins will be placed in six sites, and within 12 weeks will release about 144,000 Aedes aegypti mosquitoes – the strains most closely linked to infectious diseases such as fever. hemorrhage, Zika and yellow fever. If the plan works out, male mosquitoes that are unable to bite will mate with local female mosquitoes – resulting in the death of their eggs – helping to control Aedes aegypti populations and reduce transmission. epidemic spread. Approved by the Environmental Protection Agency in May 2020, the project also seeks to reduce the doses of local chemical insecticides that are harmful to the wildlife. The UK-based company, founded at the University of Oxford in 2002, also claims that it has a “high level of” support from the Florida Keys residents. But in fact, many local people expressed skepticism, even expressed opposition to local leaders. “We are not scientists, but we can read. What Oxitec says and what we read from other sources is completely different, ”Meagan Hull, a local resident, told a village council meeting in March. “We realized that it was a crime that we were forced to participate in this experiment,” Hull said. Another local resident said she was “extremely concerned” about the upcoming plan, pointing to the risk that genetically modified female mosquitoes will emerge massively in the community. “Everyone says it won’t happen, but I don’t believe it,” she said, pointing to the “lack of transparency” of Oxitec and government agencies. Even some officials have expressed concern, with Council member Mark Gregg calling the genetically modified mosquitoes “Frankenstein mosquitoes”. “I heard others say that we are being turned into guinea pigs” – he said. However, FKMCD confirmed the need to improve mosquito control measures, given that some species of mosquitoes are becoming resistant to insecticides, adding that Oxitec’s project could provide the tools. new “safe, friendly with the environment and with a focus”. Oxitec is no stranger to genetically engineered mosquitoes, and has released more than 1 billion of these mosquitoes in South America and the Caribbean, as a 27-month trial in Brazil in 2013, seek to reduce local mosquito populations by 90%. Like the current Florida Keys initiative, genetically modified mosquito eggs are planned to die in Brazil, but Oxitec drew criticism in 2019 after researchers released a report showing mosquitoes. reproduce as usual, and up to 60% of the individuals analyzed have traces of genetic modification. A similar Oxitec project in the Cayman Islands was also canceled in 2018, after local officials concluded it had failed. Health Minister Dwayne Seymour also said the plan “did not achieve the results we thought”. A few months before the Cayman Islands contract collapsed, the company announced it was a partner with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation of US billionaire Bill Gates to produce “friendly” mosquitoes, this time the strain. Anopheles transmits malaria. Since then, Oxitec has received only a modest $ 8.5 million from the Gates Foundation, according to its financial statements, and has received more than $ 1.2 million year-to-date alone.

Area planted with genetically modified maize in Tho Hai commune (Tho Xuan). Accordingly, units under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development have planted some genetically modified maize varieties, such as: DK 6818S, NK 4300BT / GT, NK 7328BT / GT, DK 9955S, NK4300Bt / Gt. , DK6919S … in some localities in the province. The actual assessment shows that the genetically modified maize varieties are highly resistant to pests and diseases, especially for dangerous diseases such as the autumn acacia, so the input cost is reduced by about 10 to 15%. Therefore, the yield of genetically modified maize varieties was 15 to 20 quintals / ha / crop higher than conventional maize varieties and 5 to 7 million VND / ha / crop higher than conventional maize varieties. Due to the proof of economic efficiency, the suitability of farming conditions and qualifications of many localities in the province, in recent years, the agricultural sector and local authorities in the province have encouraged her to Farmers put genetically modified maize varieties into production. Therefore, the model of genetically modified maize is increasingly being replicated, the area planted to genetically modified maize has been expanded according to each production season. In the summer-autumn crop of 2019, Tho Xuan District Agricultural Extension Center (now the Agricultural Service Center of Tho Xuan district) cooperates with DEKALB Co., Ltd. to implement a demonstration model of 2 genetically modified hybrid maize varieties 6919S and DK 9955S, in Tho Hai commune, with 2 sao. These are considered to be 2 genetically modified maize varieties with high yield and superior resistance to the autumn acacia worms. Accordingly, the company has put 2 genetically modified maize varieties: 6919S and DK 9955S into cultivation on the maize land area of ​​Tho Hai commune for trial planting. The actual evaluation from the model shows that, on 2 control maize fields planted adjacent to each other, the maize cultivating area is often destroyed by the autumn acacia worm, affecting the growth, development and yield. However, the planted area of ​​2 genetically modified maize varieties 6919S and DK 9955S still grows and develops well, the rate of damage caused by the autumn acacia and some other pests is low, almost does not affect the quality and productivity. According to calculations of the households implementing the model, the area of ​​genetically modified maize yield from 78 to 80 quintals / ha / crop, about 16 quintals / ha / crop higher than conventional maize varieties, the profit is from 27 to 33 million VND / ha / crop, about 7 million VND / ha / crop higher than the area planted with conventional maize varieties. At the end of the model, many households in Tho Hai commune boldly use genetically modified maize varieties for mass cultivation. On average, each year, the whole commune has about 100 ha of maize planted with genetically modified maize varieties. Particularly in the winter-spring crop 2020-2021, the whole commune has more than 30 hectares of maize planted with genetically modified maize varieties. In Yen Dinh district, genetically modified maize varieties, such as NK4300Bt / Gt, DK6919S, NK7328Bt / Gt, and DK6818S are also being widely cultivated by farmers in many lands. Each year, the district has nearly 1,000 ha of maize planted with genetically modified maize varieties and it is expected that the area of ​​using genetically modified maize varieties for cultivation will be expanded in the next seasons. According to Mr. Trinh Xuan Quy, Head of Agriculture and Rural Development Division, People’s Committee of Yen Dinh district, said: The reason for the rapid expansion of genetically modified marine maize area is because the use of genetically modified maize varieties helps to reduce labor, investment costs and amount of pesticides, thereby, reducing environmental pollution, improving farmers’ income, increasing economic efficiency from 15 to 20% compared to production of ordinary maize. From the benefits brought, Yen Dinh district is continuing to encourage farmers to use genetically modified maize varieties for planting, improving economic efficiency. According to the synthesis of the Provincial Plant Protection and Cultivation Department, the presence of genetically modified maize has been expanded in many districts, such as Cam Thuy, Yen Dinh, Tho Xuan, Ngoc Lac, Vinh Loc, Thieu Hoa, Trieu Son, with a total area of ​​more than 3,000 hectares per year. Most of the area planted to genetically modified maize achieves 20-30% higher economic efficiency than conventional maize varieties. More importantly, the genetically modified maize varieties are highly resistant to pests and diseases, so the amount of pesticide use in the production process is low, significantly contributing to environmental protection, ensuring safety. whole food for product