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Davydova et al., 2025

CRISPR-based Breakthrough: A New Self-Limiting Genetic Tool to Control the Mediterranean Fruit Fly

22 Apr 2025

A team of researchers from Imperial College London, UC San Diego, and Peking University has unveiled a major step forward in genetic pest control. Their recent publication in BMC Biology introduces a novel, self-limiting genetic system for managing populations of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) — one of the world’s most damaging agricultural pests.

In the study, REACT researchers developed and tested a precision genetic tool called SCIC (Sex Conversion Induced by CRISPR), a split-CRISPR/Cas9 system designed to selectively induce female-to-male sex conversion in medflies. The result: all offspring carrying the system are either sterile males or sterile intersexes, eliminating the need for manual sex-sorting or reliance on irradiation-based sterilisation.

The team demonstrated that the SCIC approach could achieve near-complete transformation efficiency and holds strong promise for more cost-effective, scalable, and targeted applications of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). Simulation models included in the study showed that SCIC-based strategies could outperform traditional SIT methods in terms of speed and efficiency of population suppression — even when release ratios are moderate.

This work builds on REACT’s broader mission to innovate sustainable pest management solutions and reduce pesticide dependence in agriculture.

Read the full article here:

“A self-limiting sterile insect technique alternative for Ceratitis capitata”

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Join the survey

The REACT project is developing sustainable strategies to protect European fruit and vegetable production from invasive fruit flies by improving eco-friendly control methods like the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). This survey gathers expert and stakeholder input to shape these solutions and assess their impact.

 

We invite farmers, agricultural experts, policymakers, researchers, and industry representatives to take part in a 30–45 minute survey to share your insights on managing invasive fruit fly threats. Your perspective will help shape effective, sustainable pest control strategies for Europe’s agri-food systems.

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