Engineered Mosquito to Boost Immune System Against Malaria

Enormous international efforts have been poured to control the malaria disease caused by the human parasite Plasmodium falciparum. One of these is the recent initiative by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute which is geared towards the strengthening of the immune system of the malaria vector, the Anopheles mosquito.

The research published in the Dec 22 issue of the online journal PLos Pathogens describe the research conducted by George Dimopoulos and colleagues of the Institute. The team genetically engineered the mosquito to produce higher than normal levels of an immune system protein, Rel2 which is responsible in launching an immune attack with a variety of anti-parasitic molecules. Using the strategy of strengthening the expression of the endogenous Rel2 gene, the researchers hope to conduct further studies to develop mosquito populations resistant to the parasite.

The full detail can be seen at http://gazette.jhu.edu/2012/01/09/scientists-engineer-mosquito-immune-system-to-block-malaria/