The Cayman Government and Oxitec Launch Innovative Pilot to Suppress Aedes aegypti

The project will be conducted in the West Bay area covering approximately 3,000 residents. There, Oxitec's non-biting, male Friendly™ Aedes aegypti will be released along with traditional vector control activities so that the MRCU and Oxitec can assess effectiveness of this combined approach. The project will involve thorough monitoring for effectiveness and will be managed by a steering committee that includes Cayman government officials and Oxitec staff. Control activities will continue through December of 2018.

"We're honoured that the Cayman government has asked us to extend our long-standing partnership," said Grey Frandsen, CEO of Oxitec. "This is a chance for us to continue to work with one of the best mosquito control operations in the region to develop a new, integrated approach using Oxitec's Friendly™ Aedes aegypti to combat this disease-spreading mosquito at precisely the right time. The threat this mosquito poses is expanding throughout the Caribbean, and our collaboration between the MRCU and Oxitec will help develop another tool that can be used in response to this threat," said Frandsen.

Aedes aegypti remains a public health concern in Grand Cayman. It has unfortunately also become resistant to many insecticides, adding to the challenges that make this non-native mosquito species difficult to target with traditional methods of vector control.

More on how male-selecting Friendly™ Mosquitoes work 

Oxitec has been working in mosquito control for over a decade and pioneered the use of a biological method to suppress wild populations of dangerous mosquito species through the release of male Friendly™ Mosquitoes, which do not bite and do not transmit diseases. When released, these males search for wild females to mate and their offspring inherit a self-limiting gene that causes either all progeny or specifically the female progeny to die before reaching adulthood, based on the strain of mosquito released. Friendly™ Mosquitoes offspring also inherit a fluorescent marker that allows tracking and monitoring at a level never before achieved, making the assessment of effectiveness more accurate throughout the whole Friendly™ Mosquitoes deployment program. Unlike other approaches, Friendly™ Mosquitoes die along with their offspring, and therefore do not persist in the environment or leave any ecological footprint.

About Oxitec 

Oxitec is a pioneer in using genetic engineering to control insect pests that spread disease and damage crops, and was founded in 2002 as a spinout from Oxford University (UK). Oxitec is a subsidiary of Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON), which engineers biology to help solve some of the world's biggest problems.  Follow us on Twitter at @Oxitec, on Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Safe Harbor Statement 

Some of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and projections about future events and generally relate to our plans, objectives and expectations for the development of our business. Although management believes that the plans and objectives reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and actual future results may be materially different from the plans, objectives and expectations expressed in this press release.

For more information, contact:

Oxitec Contact:
Michael Jooste
Director, Global Communications
Oxitec, Ltd.
Tel: +1 (253) 678-0074
info@oxitec.com

SOURCE Oxitec Ltd