Title: Preparing to Scale Oxitec’s 2nd Generation Aedes aegypti Technology in Resource-limited, Dengue-prone Urban Settings
Funder: Wellcome Trust

Abstract: Human diseases that are transmitted by the Aedes genus of mosquitoes areincreasing rapidly, diseases such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.Recent estimates suggest that today around half the world’s population are at dailyrisk of infection, the vast majority by a single mosquito species, Aedes aegypti.Oxitec’s have developed a ground-breaking biological approach to control this vectorusing safe, non-biting male mosquitoes (“OX5034-E”). Our male-only mosquitoescarry a self-limiting gene, which means that when they mate with wild females,offspring inherit a copy of this gene that prevents females from surviving toadulthood. The genetic mechanism that prevents females from surviving also enablesdeployment of our safe, non-toxic, non-biting male Aedes aegypti via egg packets insmall recyclable boxes filled with water.This project will fund the final stages of tailoring Oxitec’s “just-add-water” vectorcontroldevice into a sustainable and scalable Aedes aegypti control solution. Wewill be optimising the OX5034-E device and developing customised digital tools tosupport the wide-spread deployment of this technology, particularly in low-incomecommunities that so often require it most.The project’s three primary goals to accomplish this are:&bull; Developing new methods for scalable and rapid deployment of OX5034-Edevices in dengue-prone settings.&bull; Demonstrating OX5034-E’s ability to integrate with traditional Aedes aegypticontrol programs used by resource-limited governments and communities.&bull; Completing the supporting online and mobile platform to help future end-usersmanage the planning and deployment of OX5034-E.We will provide immediate benefits by delivering a two-year Aedes control programin a dengue-impacted city in Brazil, but importantly our project is destined to deliverimpact at a global scale. In the years to come we anticipate saving thousands of lives,and positively impacting the livelihoods of many millions of people who currently liveunder the near constant threat of this invasive and dangerous vector.

Lay abstract: After nearly a decade of development, this project will fund the final stages of transforming Oxitec’s OX5034 egg-based, “just-add-water” vector-control device into a targeted, safe, sustainable and scalable Aedes aegypti control solution specifically tailored for stand-alone or integrated interventions in disease-impacted and resource-limited settings worldwide. This project will fund the final stages of product development and related innovations in production systems to enable scalability and increase subsequent accessibility of the solution. The project will then fund a two-year, vector control intervention in a dengue-impacted city in Brazil, simultaneously developing systems and templates for deploying the technology at scale in a range of intervention types. Specifically, the project’s aim is to finalize a product that is ready to play an important role in Aedes aegypti control efforts globally. The project’s three primary goals to accomplish this are: • Developing new methods for scalable and rapid deployment of OX5034 Egg Release devices (“OX5034-E”) in dengue-prone conditions; • Demonstrating OX5034-E’s ability to integrate with traditional Aedes aegypti control programs used by resource-limited governments and communities; • Building the supporting online and mobile platform to help future end-users manage the planning and deployment of OX5034-E. Combined, the advancements will solve for the critical components necessary for making this technology widely available, accessible and easily deployable where it matters the most. Importantly, the project’s outcomes will also unlock a sustainable commercial model that combines sales into commercial Aedes aegypti control markets and the deployment of the technology via public health programs in low-resource settings.

Research activity codes: 4.1 DISCOVERY AND PRECLINICAL TESTING OF MARKERS AND TECHNOLOGIES
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE;INFECTION