Oxitec Insect Control for Public Health and Agriculture

Oxitec Insect Control for public health and agriculture

ABIM 2014 (20-22 Oct 2014) Camilla Beech

biological Combat insect- through the approach that is borne diseases reduction of safe, sustainable, Improve crop pest insect economic and yields populations applicable to many insect species worldwide © 2014 Oxitec Limited Page 2 Why engineer insects for pest control ?

New control solutions needed for public health and agriculture • consumer demand for more food on less land • demand for residue reduction • changing pest pressures • fewer available pesticides • pesticide resistance

Injecting genes into insect egg Self Limiting Gene Fluorescent Marker Gene

Self Limiting Gene Marker Gene

• Repressed with an antidote during male insect • Fluorescent Protein detected by special light production • Allows track and trace for Oxitec insects • Passed on to progeny fathered by Oxitec males • Allows estimation of pest population sizes • Prevents offspring from developing into • Allows effective monitoring of pest population reproductive adults suppression • Without continued release disappears from the gene pool and environment

Oxitec technology disrupts the reproductive cycle of pest insects

1st Generation Oxitec technology is population control species specific

• Physical sorting males • No effects on beneficial • Effects male and female insects like bees offspring, which fail to • Compatible with Crop reach adulthood Protection technology

2nd Generation Male 3nd Generation early selection population control

• Genetic sorting to give • Genetic sorting to give males males • Effects only female • Effects both males and offspring which fail to female reach maturity

Agriculture Public Health Target Crop Target Vector of

Citrus/pome/ Medfly Aedes aegypti Dengue stone fruit

Aedes Chikungunya Olive fly Olive albopictus & dengue

Diamondback Anopheles Brassica Malaria moth stephensi

Pink In development Cotton bollworm Target Crops

Drosophila Soft fruit suzukii Silkworm Silk

Red flour Stored beetle products

Aedes aegypti field trials show greater than 90% mosquito suppression

Efficacy • Reduces insect pest population below disease or economic threshold • Highly targeted - uses the biological imperative of a male to seek out females

Control • Released insects and their progeny die in a few days – providing a self- limiting or ‘dead end’ strategy • Simple monitoring using fluorescent protein – provides ‘track and trace’ and predictive capability

Environment • Reduce or more effective insecticide use – ideal in IPM programmes • Species-specific – no impact on beneficial insects • Does not persist in the environment or crop • ‘Environmentally preferable’ approach – USDA

The challenge:

Disruptive innovation • Often no clear regulatory pathway • Currently using a mix of GM legislation (EU, Brazil) and product legislation (USA) • GM legislation (safety) followed by product legislation (label) • May hinder progress and use

Proportionate pragmatic regulation • Risk – benefit analysis key to decision making • Ideally a “ product “ registration including safety • Biological control may be a precedent?

All applications successful across all Oxitec GM insects “ Environmentally preferable”

Oxitec Aedes aegypti received approval for commercial releases in Brazil April 2014

Outdoor release approved Current applications for outdoor release Import and contained • Brazil trials approved • Cayman • India • Malaysia • Austria • Singapore • Spain • Mexico • France • Thailand • Caribbean • Greece • Vietnam • USA • Guatemala • UK • Panama • Israel

Thank you

@Oxitec [email protected]