25 April 2013 Lights Up, Transmission Down World Malaria Day shines a light on efforts to control malaria – a parasitic disease, transmitted by mosquitoes, that kills almost a million people every year. Strategies to control both the parasite and its insect hosts have floundered, and scientists are turning to genetics to engineer a break in transmission. They are modifying mosquitoes to resist the malaria parasite – GM ‘mozzies’ that could in future replace their malaria-carrying mates in the wild. Like its wild counterparts this mosquito pupa (pictured) dwells beneath the water surface before transforming into a flying syringe. But unlike the mini-bioterrorists that collect and deliver their deadly parasite cargo as they take a blood meal, this shiny specimen cannot transmit malaria. The orange hue (seen under UV light) tells scientists it has incorporated a genetic ‘docking station’ into its DNA that accepts a ‘play-list’ of genes conferring malaria resistance that could interrupt malaria transmission. Written by Caroline Cross — Paul Eggleston Keele University, UK Originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution license Published inPLoS ONE 8(3): e59264
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25 April 2013

Lights Up, Transmission Down

World Malaria Day shines a light on efforts to control malaria – a parasitic disease, transmitted by mosquitoes, that kills almost a million people every year. Strategies to control both the parasite and its insect hosts have floundered, and scientists are turning to genetics to engineer a break in transmission. They are modifying mosquitoes to resist the malaria parasite – GM ‘mozzies’ that could in future replace their malaria-carrying mates in the wild. Like its wild counterparts this mosquito pupa (pictured) dwells beneath the water surface before transforming into a flying syringe. But unlike the mini-bioterrorists that collect and deliver their deadly parasite cargo as they take a blood meal, this shiny specimen cannot transmit malaria. The orange hue (seen under UV light) tells scientists it has incorporated a genetic ‘docking station’ into its DNA that accepts a ‘play-list’ of genes conferring malaria resistance that could interrupt malaria transmission.

Written by Caroline Cross

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Ear-y Noise The cochlea, pictured super-magnified, is a spiralling tunnel that leads deep inside our ear. It acts as a funnel, feeding sound from the outside world through a ‘lawn’ of sensory hair cells which line the organ of corti, highlighted here in red. As noise floods in, the sensory hairs wave around, opening up electrical channels that take speedy messages to the brain. Our auditory hair cells are intricate and fragile, making them prone to damage by diseases and infections. The World Health Organization (WHO), promoting today as International Day for Ear and Hearing, supports immunization schemes worldwide in efforts to prevent hearing loss. They also advise on safety for people with noisy jobs – after all, constant exposure to loud noises can rip out our sensitive ear hair cells. Such damage is irreparable; we are born with just 30,000 of these precious hairs and once they’re gone, they’re gone for good. Written by John Ankers — Bechara Kachar NIDCD, National Institutes of Health, USA
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Ear-y Noise

The cochlea, pictured super-magnified, is a spiralling tunnel that leads deep inside our ear. It acts as a funnel, feeding sound from the outside world through a ‘lawn’ of sensory hair cells which line the organ of corti, highlighted here in red. As noise floods in, the sensory hairs wave around, opening up electrical channels that take speedy messages to the brain. Our auditory hair cells are intricate and fragile, making them prone to damage by diseases and infections. The World Health Organization (WHO), promoting today as International Day for Ear and Hearing, supports immunization schemes worldwide in efforts to prevent hearing loss. They also advise on safety for people with noisy jobs – after all, constant exposure to loud noises can rip out our sensitive ear hair cells. Such damage is irreparable; we are born with just 30,000 of these precious hairs and once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.

Written by John Ankers

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Source: bpod.mrc.ac.uk