Distributed Surveillance

Can gene drive for malaria control be safely and sustainably implemented in Africa? The “Distributed Surveillance” project main objective is to develop a research framework and evidence base for strategically assessing gene drive interventions for malaria control.

Mosquito control has remained the most effective way to control malaria transmission and therefore the need for new technologies and approaches for malaria control and elimination.

The project will have a number of surveillances which will be done in different regions in Tanzania (study sites are yet to be selected) and will use an existing platform developed by the Marsh Mosquito project.

The project will run for 5 years with most of the research activities conducted at the beginning and which will seek to find answers to these key research questions:

• How will genetically modified mosquitoes compete for mating?
• How will transgenes spread in the complex genetic systems of An.gambiae sl?
• What is the potential impact of gene drive on local ecosystems?
• Which sampling framework and tools are fit to track spread of gene drive?
• Would gene drive be accepted in Africa?

As a collaborative project, it will involve 6 different international partners from Burkina Faso (Primary), Mali (West Africa), Cameroon (Central Africa), Tanzania (East Africa), the University of Oxford (UK) and Imperial College (UK). Additional sampling in Senegal and Comoros Island is also ongoing and when finalized, the two countries could get onboard as new partners.

The project’s Principal Investigator is Halfan Ngowo and he is also the Project Leader. Funding for the Distributed Surveillance project come from the Wellcome Trust.