Multi-site gene drive suppressed caged malaria mosquitoes despite resistance alleles
What was demonstrated
In laboratory cages seeded with about 600 Anopheles gambiae adults, a gene drive that targets several sites (Ag(QFS)2) reached fixation at generation 7 in one cage and generation 6 in another. Complete suppression followed at generation 8 and generation 7 respectively. In comparable cages, a single-target drive (Ag(QFS)1) let a resistant allele reach 74 to 87 per cent of non-drive alleles within 8 generations, with little overall suppression.
Why it matters
This paper shows that a resistant allele can spread under a single-target gene drive in caged populations, and that a multi-site design still suppressed them. The authors' models predict that single-target drives are unlikely to be robust at natural mosquito population sizes, and that multi-site drives could suppress large natural populations. Those field-scale predictions have not been tested in the field.
Caveats
- All results come from closed laboratory cages of about 600 mosquitoes. The authors' statement that such drives could suppress large natural populations is a model prediction, not a field result.
- The paper's text and the Figure 3 legend give different starting frequencies for the R1 resistant allele in its cage (9% and 15%).
- The paper is a single peer-reviewed study. Its claims about large natural populations rest on the authors' models and simulations. The authors' sequence analysis of wild-caught mosquitoes found no resistant allele at appreciable frequency.
Technology profiles
Sources
- peer reviewed paper
Engineering resilient gene drives for sustainable malaria control by predicting, testing and overcoming target site resistance in Anopheles gambiae
Ioanna Morianou, Lee Phillimore, Bhavin S. Khatri et al.. PLOS Biology, 6 Jul 2026. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3003879.
Last reviewed 21 Oct 2026.