THE AKBARI LAB
  • Home
  • People
  • Publications
  • News Press/Blog
  • Patents
  • Pictures
  • Contact

Ag startup Agragene finds a new home in St. Louis, producing sterile male fruit flies

3/20/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/nicklaus-ag-startup-agragene-finds-a-new-home-in-st-louis-producing-sterile-male-fruit/article_debaa74f-001e-5914-b0d0-be6767bbd2bf.html
0 Comments

Scientists disable protective gene in mosquitoes

3/13/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2023/03/13/scientists-disable-protective-gene-in-mosquitoes/?&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=addtoany
0 Comments

Agtech startup Agragene relocates from San Diego to St. Louis, bringing with it thousands of fruit flies

3/10/2023

0 Comments

 
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/inno/stories/profiles/2023/03/09/agragene-st-louis-relocation-pest-control.html
Picture
0 Comments

Researchers at Rockefeller University and HHMI Identify Biomarker That Makes People “Mosquito Magnets”

2/10/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
https://www.darkdaily.com/2023/02/10/researchers-at-rockefeller-university-and-hhmi-identify-biomarker-that-makes-people-mosquito-magnets/
0 Comments

DARPA FoRWARD - Broadscale Innovations to Detect and Combat Disease

2/3/2023

0 Comments

 
University Host Session: Endemic and emerging infectious diseases throughout the world are a persistent threat to US military, and biological and chemical weapons are a threat to all. Innovations at the intersection of engineering, biological, chemical and life sciences provide opportunities for detection of pathogens and novel methods of treatment delivery modalities. This session presents an array of research breakthroughs is dealing with pathogens: detecting them in the air (bio/chemical weapons), combating their drug resistance and eradicating insect-borne diseases with the help of gene editing, and employing plant viruses as prefabricated nanoparticles in treatments of infectious diseases and cancer. Additionally, ideas for steering chemical reactions using interacting photons and excited electrons in optical resonators will be presented.

​
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwmD32KrgOA&list=PL6wMum5UsYvaQ5CCEFd4I6noNtOsPKwc0&index=13
0 Comments

How CRISPR could help save crops from devastation caused by pests

2/2/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/02/02/1067679/crispr-crops-pests/
0 Comments

Elena describing her work at DARPA Forward.

12/16/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
0 Comments

Experts from 14 Nations Discuss Global Gene Drive Project Registry

12/15/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
https://today.ucsd.edu/story/experts-from-14-nations-discuss-global-gene-drive-project-registry
0 Comments

Why they try to fight the overwing painted-ee-eat fly with genetic editing and wasps

11/20/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Read more here:
https://www.infobae.com/america/ciencia-america/2022/11/19/por-que-intentan-combatir-con-edicion-genetica-y-avispas-a-la-avasallante-mosca-de-alas-pintadas/
​


0 Comments

Technological advances in mosquito olfaction neurogenetics

11/20/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
HighlightsGene-editing technologies have been used to mutate multiple sensory receptors, and their roles in mosquito behaviors have been established.
The genomes of mosquitoes have also been modified to encode fluorescent labeling markers and sensors of neuronal activities.
Single cell RNA-sequencing has expanded the repertoire of potential driver lines that can be engineered to investigate mosquito higher brain centers. The establishment of alternative binary expression systems will further resolve the spatiotemporal control of gene expression.
The design and implementation of synaptic sensors can further highlight the details of the neural pathways triggering specific odor-evoked mosquito behaviors.
The establishment of such novel genetic tools can set the stage for the development of strategies of behavioral manipulation to reduce bites and disease transmission.  
​Read more here: 
https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1g6sncQbJ3j46

0 Comments

Genetic Engineering Aims to Take a Bite Out of Insect Pests

11/16/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
0 Comments

As Santa Cruz County combats invasive mosquito, long-term eradication remains uncertain

11/9/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2022/11/08/as-santa-cruz-county-combats-invasive-mosquito-long-term-eradication-remains-uncertain/
0 Comments

Smelly Skin Compounds Draw Mosquitoes to Some People More than Others

10/19/2022

1 Comment

 
Picture
https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/smell-of-carboxylic-acids-from-skin-attracts-mosquitoes-70659
1 Comment

Some People Really Are Mosquito Magnets, and They’re Stuck That Way

10/18/2022

1 Comment

 
Picture
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/some-people-really-are-mosquito-magnets-and-theyre-stuck-that-way/
1 Comment

Agragene Selected to Participate in the F3 Tech Accelerator Program

10/13/2022

0 Comments

 
https://www.einpresswire.com/article/595180303/agragene-selected-to-participate-in-the-f3-tech-accelerator-program
Picture
0 Comments

Combating Mosquito-Borne Diseases with CRISPRAs alternatives to insecticides, Omar Akbari uses sophisticated genetic engineering methods to solve the world’s mosquito problems.  By Niki Spahich, PhD

10/11/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
https://www.the-scientist.com/sponsored-article/combating-mosquito-borne-diseases-with-crispr-70607
0 Comments

October 11th, 2022

10/11/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
0 Comments

WHY DO WE NEED TO DO FIELD RELEASES OF GENE DRIVE TECHNOLOGIES AS PART OF THE R&D PROCESS?

10/5/2022

0 Comments

 
WHY DO WE NEED TO DO FIELD RELEASES OF GENE DRIVE TECHNOLOGIES AS PART OF THE R&D PROCESS? https://genedrivenetwork.org/blog/256-why-do-we-need-to-do-field-releases-of-gene-drive-technologies-as-part-of-the-r-d-process

​

05 OCTOBER 2022By Dr Robyn Raban, Research Data Analyst, The Akbari Lab, University of California San Diego
As part of its efforts to contribute to an informed debate on gene drive, the Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research conducted a series of video interviews with experts and researchers working on gene drive research. In one of these videos - “Why do we need to do field releases of gene drive technologies as part of the R&D process?” - Dr Mamadou Coulibaly of Target Malaria and I tackle the importance of field trials in gene drive research.
Gene drive technologies have the potential to support the prevention of diseases such as malaria and dengue. For many years, gene drive technologies for vector control have been studied in the laboratory. However, these laboratory studies are not fully reflective of the conditions these technologies might eventually encounter in the field: field conditions are complex, highly variable and more stressful to gene drive organisms than those encountered in the laboratory.
There are many variables in the field that can impact the success of a gene drive, such as for example:
  • Complex community interactions with wild species, such as predators or competitors;
  • Differences in genetic diversity, population size, and dispersal of the target population;
  • Environmental factors including precipitations, air temperature, humidity, wind and vegetation;
  • Human and vector interactions, influenced by land use, human movement and activity.


“Why do we need to do field releases of gene drive technologies as part of the R&D process?” with Dr Robyn Raban, The Akbari Lab, and Dr Mamadou Coulibaly, Target Malaria. To learn more, you can watch the video here. 
These factors also vary over space (e.g., local versus landscape level) and time (e.g., seasonally). Therefore, while laboratory studies provide important safety and efficacy data needed to determine whether gene drive technologies could benefit disease control programs, they fall short of providing the necessary data to determine if these technologies are suitable for large scale use. The transition from the laboratory to the field is an essential step in the research and development process.
If a gene drive technology were to be approved for field evaluation, early field trials would be conducted on a small scale to ensure performance and safety, before scaling to larger and more complex environments. Following a stepwise approach will help provide more reliable performance and safety data for stakeholders to assess whether a gene drive technology is effective and safe. It will also allow to collect data at each step of the research pathway, which in turn will help in building better predictive models of gene drive behavior on a large scale and ensure that these potentially life-saving technologies are developed in a responsible manner.
0 Comments

Can a bold new plan to stop mosquitoes catch on?

9/13/2022

0 Comments

 
https://www.popsci.com/science/stop-mosquitoes-genetic-modification/

​
Picture
PDF DOWNLOAD
0 Comments

Why do we need to do field releases of gene drive technologies as part of the R&D process?

9/12/2022

0 Comments

 
​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJgFJ_ac6mA
0 Comments

PODCAST - Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin FoltaPrecision Insect Control with Gene Editing

9/6/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
0 Comments

Tweaking crops to prevent disease and reduce pesticide use — a CRISPR solution

9/1/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
0 Comments

Environment Friendly CRISPR Technology Could Check Crop Pests

8/22/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
​https://www.genengnews.com/insights/environment-friendly-crispr-technology-could-check-crop-pests/
0 Comments

WORLD MOSQUITO DAY: WHY INNOVATION IS KEY TO BEAT MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES

8/20/2022

1 Comment

 
Picture
1 Comment

You Have No Idea How Good Mosquitoes Are at Smelling Us  The insects have infinite backup plans for hunting us down.By Katherine J. Wu

8/18/2022

0 Comments

 
​https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/08/mosquito-smell-olfaction-genetic-unstoppable-bite/671177/
Picture
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    July 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    December 2014

    RSS Feed

© COPYRIGHT www.Akbarilab.com 
​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Picture
  • Home
  • People
  • Publications
  • News Press/Blog
  • Patents
  • Pictures
  • Contact