Oxitec, a leader in this field, has developed genetically-modified mosquitoes known as OC513A (Aedes aegypti). This is how the company describes the self-limiting gene: “The self-limiting gene is at the heart of our method of insect control. As a result, with the right equipment you can easily tell genetically-modified mosquitoes apart from wild ones. By examining larvae from the field, researchers can see how many are offspring of genetically-modified mosquitoes and how many are wild ones. The idea was to reduce the mosquito population in the area and it was initially successful, reducing the mosquito population in that area by a whopping 90 per cent.

Source: New Strait Times October 13, 2019 00:11 UTC