Mosquito numbers and cases of mosquito-borne diseases have surged in the recent years due to growing mosquito insecticide resistance, climate warming, and global travel. The urgency of the mosquito problem revived the interest in biological approaches for mosquito suppression, such as Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and Wolbachia Insect Incompatibility Technique (WIIT) as well as novel Genetic Modification (GM) approaches. SIT and WIIT rely on frequent massive releases of sex-sorted adult male mosquitoes, and have failed to reach the scale due to the exuberant costs and poor efficacy. Alternatively, novel GM approaches based on releases of fertile GE mosquitoes are failing due to natural selection and facing strong regulatory barriers. At Synvect, we have developed an array of genetic tools addressing multiple shortcomings of SIT, WIIT, GM approaches.

SEPARATOR enables the high-throughput and high-precision sex-sorting at the early L1 larval stage. Only males express a fluorescent protein and are positively selected, while females are removed early during development allowing for rearing twice more males at the same facility capacity. We show that SEPARATOR enables high-throughput sex-sorting in Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex mosquitoes. Finally, in the US, SEPARATOR is classified as an inert ingredient by the US EPA and can already be used for the production of male mosquitoes for SIT and WIIT releases.

NextGenSIT combines the safety of traditional SIT with the precision and efficacy of CRISPR gene knockouts. Unlike conventional GM approaches, NextGenSIT is completely contained solution. It is deployed as eggs that develop hand-free into sex-sorted, completely sterilized, and yet fully competitive male mosquitoes. Finally, Synvect’s Aedes aegypti NextGenSIT eggs can be produced at a 100x scale, stored, and delivered globally for cost-efficient and efficacious suppression at Aedes aegypti.