r/technology • u/lurker_bee • 23h ago

Biotechnology Burkina Faso says no to Bill Gates’ plan of creating modified species of mosquitoes

https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/burkina-faso-says-no-to-bill-gates-plan-of-creating-modified-species-of-mosquitoes/xyk7xm8
9.5k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

1.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

48

u/Logical-Breakfast966 15h ago

I’m guessing mRNA? It really is refining what a vaccine can be. Too bad all the research funding got cut in the us

14

u/jofra6 15h ago

Yeah, I don't know the specifics, but I understand that it's mostly/completely being funded by the Gates foundation... I imagine at one point the WHO/CDC was involved, but this was largely privately funded as I understood it.

19

u/Zephyr256k 15h ago

No, RTS,S is a recombinant (not mRNA) vaccine.
It was developed primarily by GlaxoSmithKline in cooperation with Walter Reed and PATH.
Gates foundation has provided major support for the final phases of trials and distribution, but most of the research and development was done long before they ever got involved.

2

u/jofra6 15h ago

My understanding is limited, I knew the person working on the project in passing. Thanks for the correction!

1

u/skolioban 13h ago

Surprisingly, there's a candidate for malaria relief, which is.... ivermectin. Yes, the horse paste dewormer idiots had been praising as a miracle drug. There are actual trials going on right now.

8

u/organicversion08 11h ago

Not surprising, it's an antiparasitic drug.