Environmentally-Friendly Alternatives to Fight Insects Invasions (IMAGE)
Caption
Dr. Jérémy Bouyer proposes to develop biological technologies to control three types of pest insects (mosquitoes, tse-tse flies and Mediterranean fruit flies), two of which are presently invading Europe. If successful, his approach would be well placed as an environmentally-friendly alternative to fight insects transmitting human, animal and plant diseases, including Zika virus, without insecticides that raise concern for their toxicity for health and environment. His team will work to improve the « sterile insect technique » which consists in mass rearing male insects, sterilizing them by radiation and releasing them into the environment, where they compete with their wild, non-sterile counterparts to reproduce. The objective is to reduce the fertility of the overall population and eventually cause its collapse. Their « boosted sterile insect technique » consists in ensuring that the males also transmit substances to the females that kill them or their progeny.
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Dr Jérémy Bouyer
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