rosie
24th March 2010, 17:39
Whoa, I cannot believe they are even thinking about this, if Japan is into this, you can bet all other countries are also.
I did not post this to worry people, only to inform. :p
TOKYO - JAPANESE researchers hope one day to turn blood-sucking mosquitoes - carriers of deadly malaria - into deliverers of a vaccine that could instead inoculate millions for free.
A new study shows real promise for turning the reviled insects into heroes by genetically modifying them to make them 'flying vaccinators", according to scientists at Jichi Medical University north of Tokyo.
The researchers have already genetically modified a mosquito species so that its saliva contains a protein that acts as a vaccine against leishmaniasis, a sandfly-borne disease that triggers terrible skin sores and can be fatal.
The team confirmed that mice bitten by the transgenic mosquito developed an antibody to the disease, meaning they had built up immunity, said Shigeto Yoshida, the associate professor who has led the research. Similarly the mosquitoes could be used to help combat malaria, perhaps a decade from now, said the malaria expert.
'What's good is that they don't charge you for vaccinations,' Assoc. Prof Yoshida told AFP by telephone on Wednesday. 'You would be vaccinated without even noticing. You wouldn't need any drug and you wouldn't need to show up at a designated place for mass vaccinations.'
Repeat bites would only strengthen the immunity, he said. For now a problem is that no effective vaccine exists, because malaria's antigen, which triggers immune reactions, changes frequently. However, Assoc. Prof Yoshida expects science will come up with a solution, and that the transgenic mosquito will ultimately help rid the developing world of a deadly scourge. -- AFP
I did not post this to worry people, only to inform. :p
TOKYO - JAPANESE researchers hope one day to turn blood-sucking mosquitoes - carriers of deadly malaria - into deliverers of a vaccine that could instead inoculate millions for free.
A new study shows real promise for turning the reviled insects into heroes by genetically modifying them to make them 'flying vaccinators", according to scientists at Jichi Medical University north of Tokyo.
The researchers have already genetically modified a mosquito species so that its saliva contains a protein that acts as a vaccine against leishmaniasis, a sandfly-borne disease that triggers terrible skin sores and can be fatal.
The team confirmed that mice bitten by the transgenic mosquito developed an antibody to the disease, meaning they had built up immunity, said Shigeto Yoshida, the associate professor who has led the research. Similarly the mosquitoes could be used to help combat malaria, perhaps a decade from now, said the malaria expert.
'What's good is that they don't charge you for vaccinations,' Assoc. Prof Yoshida told AFP by telephone on Wednesday. 'You would be vaccinated without even noticing. You wouldn't need any drug and you wouldn't need to show up at a designated place for mass vaccinations.'
Repeat bites would only strengthen the immunity, he said. For now a problem is that no effective vaccine exists, because malaria's antigen, which triggers immune reactions, changes frequently. However, Assoc. Prof Yoshida expects science will come up with a solution, and that the transgenic mosquito will ultimately help rid the developing world of a deadly scourge. -- AFP