# CRISPR technologies for the control and study of malaria-transmitting anopheline mosquitoes

## TL;DR

CRISPR technology is transforming the study and control of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes, offering new strategies to combat this deadly disease.

## Contribution

This review outlines recent CRISPR-based advances in anopheline biology and innovative vector control strategies.

## Key findings

- CRISPR/Cas9 has enabled detailed study of anopheline traits like olfaction and reproduction.
- New vector control strategies such as pgSIT and IFEGENIA have been developed using CRISPR.
- CRISPR-based gene drives and genetic modifications show promise for interrupting malaria transmission.

## Abstract

Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases on the planet, killing approximately 600,000 people annually, and is transmitted by the bite of an anopheline mosquito. Anophelines, and the diseases they transmit, have changed the course of history and the fate of nations, and their successful control promises to end the transmission of malaria. With the advent of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) technologies, the study and control of these deadly pests have been revolutionized. As the release of genetically modified anophelines is being considered, here we outline the advances in CRISPR/Cas9 technologies and how they have revolutionized the study of anopheline basic biology and the development of innovative vector control strategies. We outline the major findings of CRISPR-based basic biological research into traits relevant for vector control including, but not limited to, olfaction, chemosensation, neurobiology, and reproduction. Further, we summarize the advancements in CRISPR-based innovative vector control strategies, such as the precision-guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT), inherited female elimination by genetically encoded nucleases to interrupt alleles (IFEGENIA), X-shredder, Y-linked editors, and gene drives. All in all, this review summarizes the basic biological and vector control research undertaken using CRISPR since its advent approximately a decade ago.