NOTE: “screen capture” of Oxitec’s “Team” (March 26, 2017) is at bottom. It’s a marriage made-in-heaven for the biotech industry (biotech big Pharma AND biotech Agriculture).
http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=22757167
Company Overview
Oxitec Ltd. operates as a biotechnology company that provides solutions for controlling insects that spread diseases and damage crops. It offers Aedes aegypti OX513A, a bisex RIDL strain for genetic backgrounds in Asia and Latin America; Aedes aegypti OX3604C, a female-flightless RIDL strain for genetic backgrounds in Mexico; Aedes albopictus OX3688, a female-flightless RIDL strain for genetic backgrounds in Asia; Oxitec Diamondback Moth OX4319L, a fluorescent marker to identify the Oxitec moths and distinguish them from wild ones; and Pink bollworm OX1138, a fluorescent marker that glows red when viewed under certain filters. The company also provides Pink bollworm OX3402, a fluorescent marker that offers a replacement to irradiation for sterilization of the moths; and Medfly OX3864A, a female-specific strain, which enables separation of the sexes to allow male release by removal of the supplement from the diet of the final release generation. In addition, it offers Mexfly OX3097B, a female specific Oxitec strain that provides female lethality in the absence of a dietary supplement by permitting a male-only release in the final release generation; and Olive fly OX3713A, a female-specific Oxitec strain, which provides separation of the sexes to allow a male release. Oxitec Ltd. was founded in 2002 and is based in Oxford, United Kingdom.
Key Executives for Oxitec Ltd.
71 Innovation Drive Milton Park Oxford, OX14 4RQ United Kingdom
Phone: 44 1235 832 393; Fax: 44 1235 861 138
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DEVELOPMENTS
The National Technical Commission for Biosecurity (CTNBio) Approves Oxitec’s the Commercial Release of the Genetically Modified (GM) Mosquito, OX513A (Brazil)
The National Technical Commission for Biosecurity (CTNBio), the collegiate body responsible for approval and regulation of transgenic organisms in Brazil, approved the commercial release of the genetically modified (GM) mosquito, OX513A, developed by Oxitec. It is the first GM insect to be considered safe for commercial use in Brazil and the latest of a long series of biotechnology approvals by CTNBio. The Oxitec mosquito, which can be used to control the dengue mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is a strain of the wild species that contains two additional genes. The Oxitec males (which cannot bite) are released to seek out and mate with the wild females. Their offspring inherit the additional genes and die before becoming functional adults. They also inherit a marker that is visible under a special light, making monitoring in the field simple and helping ensure that dengue mosquito control programmes succeed. In several trials, successive releases of the Oxitec males have been shown to reduce substantially the wild population of dengue mosquitoes in the treated area. The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the main vector of dengue, a virus that infects an estimated 390 million people per year worldwide. Dengue can cause a variety of symptoms including nausea, acute pain and fever. In the more serious cases it can develop into dengue haemorrhagic fever and can even lead to death. There is neither medication nor an approved vaccine for dengue. The dengue mosquito lives in and around the home and is known for being difficult to control. Conventional methods currently in use have shown themselves to be insufficient to prevent the spread of the disease.
Oxitec Applies to Spanish Regulatory Authorities to Carry Out a Netted Field Evaluation of its Olive Fly Strain
Oxitec has applied to Spanish regulatory authorities for permission to carry out a netted field evaluation of its olive fly strain: a novel approach to controlling one of Europe’s most damaging agricultural pests. The olive fly (Bactrocera oleae) is the single major pest for olives, causing widespread crop damage and significant financial losses to Europe’s olive farmers. It is extremely difficult to control using existing methods. The control of olive fly has been largely based on the use of chemicals, but the intense use of insecticides has led to the development of insecticide resistance, which makes control problematic. In addition, the new European Union pesticides legislation means that a large number of efficient insecticides have been or are being phased out, or their use is dramatically restricted. Alternative control methods, such as pheromones, traps and biological control have also been employed, but their effectiveness is much less. Oxitec’s olive fly strain carries a genetic modification. In Oxitec’s pest control approach, the company’s engineered males are released to mate with wild females, resulting in the death of all the female offspring. In earlier in-door caged trials Oxitec’s approach was able to completely eliminate wild-type olive flies in less than two months. It has also completed extensive laboratory and greenhouse testing. Conventional products tend not to distinguish between the target pest and other insect species, but by using male flies as tools to control their own species, Oxitec’s approach ensures that only the olive fly is targeted. Oxitec’s approach has already been successful in trials with mosquitoes. Dengue fever is a growing global threat and is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito (Aedes aegypti). A recent trial in Brazil carried out in an urban environment achieved a 96% suppression of this dengue mosquito. Oxitec has now applied to the Catalan regulatory authorities for permission to conduct a field evaluation of its olive fly strain, in accordance with EU regulations. Only when the national biosafety commission has evaluated the application following a period of public comment, and written permission has been received from the Catalan authorities, can any release take place.