Genetic & Symbiont Strategies for Controlling Vector Borne Disease

Vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue and Zika have devastating impact in many developing countries, and in the absence of effective vaccines for most of these diseases, novel control tools are much needed. This network focuses on two highly promising approaches: genetic modification and the use of heritable endosymbionts. Both require the rearing and release of insect disease vectors with the aim of suppressing their populations or blocking the transmission of pathogens. They are highly targeted, species specific strategies, which (depending on the specific form employed) may only require one short intervention phase rather than repeated applications, thus providing major advantages over insecticides in terms of environmental impact and cost effectiveness. Some, for example Wolbachia, are already starting to be deployed in a number of countries. This Network aims, for the first time, to draw together individuals from a broad range of scientific disciplines engaged in developing and deploying these approaches to foster knowledge exchange, methodological and technological sharing, and stimulate innovative collaborative research projects that will lay the foundation for new approaches or more effective implementation of those currently being developed. Importantly, given the potential impact of these approaches in developing countries, this Network will help to consolidate and expand the links between leading UK scientists and excellent researchers based in disease-endemic countries. The themes to be covered by the network will be: vector-pathogen interactions; genetic modification technologies; gene drive systems; sterility and sex determination; Wolbachia and virus transmission blocking; other endosymbionts and parasite transmission blocking; vector population biology / male ecology and behaviour; population modelling; best practise for community engagement and field release trials; and impact assessment and cost-benefit analyses. This will be a fully open network, open to new members throughout, and we will actively seek to recruit new expertise into the field to complement that of the starting group of members. The Network co-Directors, Manager and Management Board will oversee the network and evaluate applications for pump-priming research awards (up to one year duration) for novel projects from members, along with a larger number of short training and technology exchange visits between members' groups. The Network will organize and advertise three annual UK meetings, offering travel bursaries to support attendance. Three regional meetings will also be organised in SE Asia, Africa, and South America, concentrating on strategies that are field-ready and aiming to bring together scientists with policy makers. The network will, by bringing together groups developing genetic and symbiont-based vector control systems, improve community interactions through the exchange of information, reagents, expertise and personnel (especially early stage researchers). It will create a forum to bring together UK and developing country members working on strategy implementation, allowing pooling of experience and improved linkages, and bring genetic and symbiont strategies to new researchers, policy makers and stakeholders. The network will facilitate transfer of technologies and symbiont approaches developed in mosquitoes to other disease vector systems, and bring together molecular biologists, ecologists and modellers. It will pump-prime novel project areas based on promising ideas or preliminary data, with an emphasis on rapid, light-touch review, providing an excellent platform for further longer-term funding. It will support the development of high quality grant proposals, through shared community expertise, and prioritise novelty in the research it supports.