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Muhammad Mahdi Karim
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is allowing a company to proceed with a field trial of genetically engineered (GE) Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the Florida Keys.
The FDA said the trial, designed to determine if the GE mosquitoes will suppress the local Aedes aegypti population, will not have a significant impact on the environment.
The FDA’s decision does not mean the GE mosquitoes are approved for commercial use or even that the trial will go ahead.
The company developing the mosquitoes, Oxitec, must ensure that all other local, state, and federal requirements are met before conducting the field trial.
Oxitec and its local partner, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, will then determine whether and when to begin the trial in Key Haven, Florida.
The goal of the field trial is to reduce the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the Florida Keys. These non-native mosquitoes spread the Zika virus, dengue fever, and chikungunya.
If it proceeds, the trial will involve male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that have been genetically engineered so their offspring die before reaching adulthood.
The GE mosquitoes, which do not bite or spread disease, will be released to mate with wild female Aedes aegypti. The resulting offspring are expected to die before they can begin mating themselves, thereby reducing the overall population.
Efficacy trials in Brazil, Panama, and the Cayman Islands have tested this approach, and, in each of these trials, the population of Aedes aegypti was reduced by more than 90%.
“We’ve been developing this approach for many years, and, from these results, we are convinced that our solution is both highly effective and has sound environmental credentials,” said Oxitec’s Chief Executive Officer Hadyn Parry.
“We’re delighted with the announcement today that the FDA, after their extensive review of our dossier and thousands of public comments for a trial in the Florida Keys, have published their final view that this will not have a significant impact on the environment. We are now looking forward to working with the community in the Florida Keys moving forward.”
The FDA published a final finding of no significant impact (FONSI) and a final environmental assessment (EA) regarding the trial on August 5. Both documents are available on the FDA’s website.
More information on Oxitec’s technology and the trial can be found on the company’s website. 
Photo courtesy of
Muhammad Mahdi Karim
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is allowing a company to proceed with a field trial of genetically engineered (GE) Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the Florida Keys.
The FDA said the trial, designed to determine if the GE mosquitoes will suppress the local Aedes aegypti population, will not have a significant impact on the environment.
The FDA’s decision does not mean the GE mosquitoes are approved for commercial use or even that the trial will go ahead.
The company developing the mosquitoes, Oxitec, must ensure that all other local, state, and federal requirements are met before conducting the field trial.
Oxitec and its local partner, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, will then determine whether and when to begin the trial in Key Haven, Florida.
The goal of the field trial is to reduce the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the Florida Keys. These non-native mosquitoes spread the Zika virus, dengue fever, and chikungunya.
If it proceeds, the trial will involve male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that have been genetically engineered so their offspring die before reaching adulthood.
The GE mosquitoes, which do not bite or spread disease, will be released to mate with wild female Aedes aegypti. The resulting offspring are expected to die before they can begin mating themselves, thereby reducing the overall population.
Efficacy trials in Brazil, Panama, and the Cayman Islands have tested this approach, and, in each of these trials, the population of Aedes aegypti was reduced by more than 90%.
“We’ve been developing this approach for many years, and, from these results, we are convinced that our solution is both highly effective and has sound environmental credentials,” said Oxitec’s Chief Executive Officer Hadyn Parry.
“We’re delighted with the announcement today that the FDA, after their extensive review of our dossier and thousands of public comments for a trial in the Florida Keys, have published their final view that this will not have a significant impact on the environment. We are now looking forward to working with the community in the Florida Keys moving forward.”
The FDA published a final finding of no significant impact (FONSI) and a final environmental assessment (EA) regarding the trial on August 5. Both documents are available on the FDA’s website.
More information on Oxitec’s technology and the trial can be found on the company’s website.
Photo courtesy of
Muhammad Mahdi Karim
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is allowing a company to proceed with a field trial of genetically engineered (GE) Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the Florida Keys.
The FDA said the trial, designed to determine if the GE mosquitoes will suppress the local Aedes aegypti population, will not have a significant impact on the environment.
The FDA’s decision does not mean the GE mosquitoes are approved for commercial use or even that the trial will go ahead.
The company developing the mosquitoes, Oxitec, must ensure that all other local, state, and federal requirements are met before conducting the field trial.
Oxitec and its local partner, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, will then determine whether and when to begin the trial in Key Haven, Florida.
The goal of the field trial is to reduce the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the Florida Keys. These non-native mosquitoes spread the Zika virus, dengue fever, and chikungunya.
If it proceeds, the trial will involve male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that have been genetically engineered so their offspring die before reaching adulthood.
The GE mosquitoes, which do not bite or spread disease, will be released to mate with wild female Aedes aegypti. The resulting offspring are expected to die before they can begin mating themselves, thereby reducing the overall population.
Efficacy trials in Brazil, Panama, and the Cayman Islands have tested this approach, and, in each of these trials, the population of Aedes aegypti was reduced by more than 90%.
“We’ve been developing this approach for many years, and, from these results, we are convinced that our solution is both highly effective and has sound environmental credentials,” said Oxitec’s Chief Executive Officer Hadyn Parry.
“We’re delighted with the announcement today that the FDA, after their extensive review of our dossier and thousands of public comments for a trial in the Florida Keys, have published their final view that this will not have a significant impact on the environment. We are now looking forward to working with the community in the Florida Keys moving forward.”
The FDA published a final finding of no significant impact (FONSI) and a final environmental assessment (EA) regarding the trial on August 5. Both documents are available on the FDA’s website.
More information on Oxitec’s technology and the trial can be found on the company’s website.