Genetic technology co-developed at Imperial could help to eliminate malaria by making mosquitos resistant to the parasite that spreads the disease.
Transmission Zero, a research team from Imperial College London in partnership with the Ifakara Health Institute and the National Institute of Medical Research in Tanzania, has developed genetic technology which renders a mosquito unable to transmit the malaria parasite and has a gene drive that ensures that future generations are also resistant to the parasite.
The technology could significantly reduce the malaria burden in high-risk countries, saving hundreds of thousands of lives each year, especially among children – who are disproportionately at risk from the disease.
"Our technology is equitable, it offers hope in the fight against malaria and doesn't present economic or social barriers to malaria intervention access." Professor George K. Christophides Professor of Infectious Disease and Immunity at Imperial College London
The work of Transmission Zero has been highlighted in a new Global Development Hub STEM for Development Impact Memo authored by Professor George K. Christophides, Professor of Infectious Disease and Immunity at Imperial, Dr Nikolai Windbichler, Reader in Genetics at Imperial, and Dr Dickson Wilson Lwetoijera, Principal Research Scientist at Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania.
Professor Christophides from Imperial's Department of Life Sciences said: "The solutions we currently have for malaria are not enough – we need something new.
"Our technology is equitable, it offers hope in the fight against malaria and doesn't present economic or social barriers to malaria intervention access."
Progress on tackling malaria has flatlined in recent years, with cases and deaths further exacerbated by disruption to health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each year, more than 263 million people contract malaria and the disease is endemic in 83 countries. In 2023, there were almost 600,000 malaria deaths in 83 countries, with African countries accounting for 94 per cent of deaths - 76 per cent of whom were children under five.
Efforts to prevent the spread of the disease have been complicated by existing malaria interventions becoming less effective due to mosquitoes developing biological and behavioural resistance to insecticides and barrier-based controls. Malaria parasites have also developed resistance to treatment, highlighting the need for new tools to tackle the disease.
Dr Windbichler, also from the Department of Life Sciences, said: "This is a new type of technology and a first-in-class solution to complement our malaria control tools.
"We want to move at the right speed, not too fast so that everyone is on board and supportive of this new technology, but also with urgency, so that we treat malaria as the emergency that it is."
"We want to move at the right speed, not too fast so that everyone is on board and supportive of this new technology, but also with urgency, so that we treat malaria as the emergency that it is." Dr Nikolai Windbichler Reader in Genetics at Imperial College London
The memo was launched at a special event at the Royal Geographical Society which brought together leading scientists, policymakers, and global health advocates to explore the potential of gene drive technology and other innovative solutions to achieve malaria eradication.
The event included addresses from the memo authors, alongside a panel discussion and Q&A session which included:
- Professor Faith Osier, Imperial's Chair in Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology
- Dr Honorati Masanja, Chief Executive Director at Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania
- Michael Santos, Senior Vice President for Science Partnerships and Chief Population Health Science Officer at the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH)
- Victoria Fowler, Head of UK Advocacy at Malaria No More
Africa-owned technology
Transmission Zero was established to develop new ways to halt the spread of malaria. The project is co-led by Imperial researchers in the UK and scientists at the Ifakara Health Institute and National Institute for Medical Research in Tanzania, in collaboration with the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Switzerland.
"There was strong agreement from the beginning that we had to capacitate local scientists and have buy-in from the government and local communities, which demonstrates the local ownership of the technology." Dr Dickson Wilson Lwetoijera Principal Research Scientist at Ifakara Health Institute
It has been supported by a $15-million grant from the Gates Foundation to substantially expand its operations in the UK and in Tanzania.
This collaborative approach has led to the development of a mosquito transgenesis and infection facility at the Ifakara Health Institute with a biosafety level three laboratory and supporting plant room, bolstering genetic research in Tanzania and the wider continent.
The project has already achieved the first ever transgenic mosquito made on African soil, made by African scientists – a landmark achievement for research and technology development in Africa.
Dr Lwetoijera said: "There was strong agreement from the beginning that we had to capacitate local scientists and have buy-in from the government and local communities, which demonstrates the local ownership of the technology."
The partnership between Imperial and institutes in Tanzania will help ensure that scientists in the region are trained in the latest genetic technologies and able to develop their own research agenda.
Tackling global development challenges
STEM for Development Impact Memos offer policymakers and stakeholders insight into projects supported by Imperial's Global Development Hub and their real-world impact. The focus is on the scale-up potential of a science, technology, policy or health solution to development challenges.
Imperial's Global Development Hub is a platform to promote and support Imperial's sustainable development research, education and innovation. The Hub supports Imperial's contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Agenda 2030, and our work more broadly with some of the most vulnerable and marginalised in societies where multiple global challenges are acutely concentrated.
