Using Genetics-based Gene Slicing Nanotechnology to Fight Mosquitoes and other Pests.

          Kansas State University researchers have developed a patent to kill mosquitoes and other pests without using pesticides. The technology is being developed by Kun Yan Zhu professor of entomology and Jianzhen Zhang a visiting scientist from Shanxi University in China. The technology is "comprised of a nontoxic, biodegradable polymer matrix and insect-derived double stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA), which is a synthesized molecule that can trigger a biological process known as RNA interference, to destroy the genetic code of an insect in a specific DNA sequence."

         The technology itself was developed when the researchers were trying to disable the genes in mosquito larvae development. After failed genetic techniques they switched their focus to nanoparticles. The researchers designed the DsRNA to target the mRNA enzyme that coded the mosquitoes chitin exoskeleton. "Once RNAi is triggered, it destroys the messenger RNA, or mRNA, of a particular gene. This prevents the translation of the gene into its product, silencing it." It was found that these mosquitoes were producing less chitin making them more exposed to insecticides and eventually killed them. The researchers hypothesized that if they could get the chitin down to an even smaller level the mosquitoes can be killed without the use of any insecticides. There have been other studies showing nanotechnology being used as an alternative to pesticides. 

Retrieved from 

http://www.k-state.edu/media/images/nov14/dsrna.jpg

         This technology could be a much safer alternative to pesticides. Using a pesticide to kill a pest has a lot of by products. The pesticide could be affective at killing the pest but it could also kill anything else that ingests the pesticide. This nanoparticle would only attack the specific RNA that it was coded for. Making it completely safe to anyone or everything that is not a mosquito. This technology could be developed to attack other pests that are detrimental to the farming industry. The technology can be used to fight mosquitoes in a dense malaria area, stopping the spread of malaria and other dangerous diseases. 

         

Original Article

http://feedstuffs.com/story-genetics-based-nanotech-keep-mosquitoes-bay-45-120282

Related Article 

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00253-012-3969-4#page-1