Researchers Funded by Bill Gates Turn Mosquitoes into ‘Flying Syringes’ to Deliver Vaccines

Researchers at Leiden University Medical Center, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, have developed a new way to administer malaria vaccines using genetically modified mosquitoes as “flying vaccinators”.

The Blaze report In a study published in New England Medical JournalScientists have demonstrated the effectiveness of using mosquitoes as “flying syringes” to vaccinate humans against malaria. The study was conducted at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) in the Netherlands. Funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundationrepresents a new and potentially worrying advance in vaccine technology.

The research involved genetically modifying the malaria parasite so that it stops developing after a certain period of time in the human body. The modified parasites, named GA1 and GA2, were designed to stimulate the immune system without causing a full-blown malaria infection. The researchers then infected mosquitoes with these artificial parasites, allowing them to bite human subjects in a controlled environment.

The study involved 43 adults between the ages of 19 and 35 with no history of malaria infection, divided into three groups. The first group received 50 bites from mosquitoes infected with the GA2 parasite, the second group received 50 bites from mosquitoes infected with the GA1 parasite, and the third group, which served as a placebo, received 50 bites from uninfected mosquitoes. I was stung. Participants received three vaccinations 28 days apart.

Three weeks after the last vaccination, human subjects were exposed to malaria infection through the bite of an infected mosquito. The results showed that 8 out of 9 participants in the GA2 group were effectively protected against malaria, compared to only 1 out of 8 participants in the GA1 group and no one in the placebo group was protected against malaria. It was shown that it was not possible.

The concept of using mosquitoes as “flying vaccinators” has been studied by scientists for many years. In 2010, Japanese researcher Shigeto Yoshida administered Leishmania vaccine to mice by modifying mosquito saliva, suggesting that insect vaccination may be painless and cost-effective. did. However, concerns about informed consent and medical safety have hindered the development of this approach. That doesn't seem to concern Bill Gates and the professors he currently funds.