Insectary activities

We have multiple insectary and laboratory research facilities located across Africa, Europe, and North America. Each insectary has unique expertise and resources that are required for different phases of development and evaluation of our gene drive technology.

Upstream research and development is largely centred in our European and US insectaries and laboratories. Activities in African partner facilities encompass the receipt, contained evaluation and timely production of mosquitoes for field evaluation to support the regulatory pathway. In addition, the African insectaries take the lead on translational research necessary for scaling up mass rearing and implementation of mosquitoes for large field trials.

All insectaries with genetically modified mosquitoes adhere to stringent Arthropod Containment Level 2 (ACL-2) biocontainment status. This consists of multiple layers of physical confinement in addition to rigourous procedural measures ensure no inadvertent escape of mosquitoes into the environment (Read more) .