Mosquito RNA vaccine (MORV)

Vaccination of humans is not always possible for viral diseases transmitted by blood-feeding mosquitoes. This proposal is a proof-of-concept to ‘vaccinate’ mosquitoes using a self-replicating mosquito RNA vaccine (MORV). The MORV is a small synthetic RNA that can be rapidly tailored to any viral disease.

This short project will engineer the MORV, study the mosquito immune response, and test if mosquitoes become resistant to Zika and West Nile virus. Eventually, MORV-vaccinated mosquitoes can be released into the environment to reduce virus transmission.

The project is also important to establish the legal status of novel genomic techniques in renewed European legislation.