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

Researchers at Leiden University Medical Center, backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, have developed a new method of delivering malaria vaccines using genetically modified mosquitoes as “flying vaccinators.”

The Blaze reports that in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists have demonstrated the effectiveness of using mosquitoes as “flying syringes” to vaccinate humans against malaria. The research, conducted at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) in the Netherlands with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, represents a new and potentially worrying advancement in vaccine technology.

The study involved genetically modifying malaria parasites to stop developing after a certain period of time in the human body. The modified parasites, named GA1 and GA2, were designed to prime the immune system without causing a full-blown malaria infection. Researchers then infected mosquitoes with these engineered parasites and allowed them to bite human test subjects in a controlled setting.

In the trial, 43 adults between the ages of 19 and 35 with no prior history of malaria infection were 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, serving as a placebo, received 50 bites from uninfected mosquitoes. The participants underwent three vaccination sessions at 28-day intervals.

Three weeks after the final vaccination session, the human test subjects were exposed to malaria infection through bites from infected mosquitoes. The results showed that eight out of nine participants in the GA2 group were effectively protected against malaria, while only one out of eight in the GA1 group and none in the placebo group received protection.

The concept of using mosquitoes as “flying vaccinators” has been explored by scientists for years. In 2010, Japanese researcher Shigeto Yoshida modified mosquito saliva to deliver leishmania vaccines to mice, noting that vaccination by insect could be painless and cost-effective. However, concerns about informed consent and medical safety have hindered the development of this approach. That doesn’t appear to be a concern for Bill Gates and the professors he is funding today.