Verily: Google's health spin off to elimate Zika virus
Alphabet who is well-known as the parent company of Google is inventing new gadgetry for rearing mosquitoes, tracking gadgetry and plan for pilot test. It's not only Google that's had the attention of the disease, but it seems Silicon Valley already had the attention where they announced to give away $3 billion to cure the disease.
A new project by Alphabet's health spin off, Verily is working its way behind the bio safety labs to create billions of sterilized mosquitoes in order to battle diseases caused by mosquitoes like dengue and Zika virus, according to Engadget.
Verily is still at an early stage at the prevention of these diseases, espcially Zika virus. The main vector of this virus is Aedes aegypti, a mosquito-borne disease that has put many public health officials on the verge of solving it. It is widely spread in Latin America and has move its way up to the north of America. Zika is starting to spread in Miami, and will ramp up, bracing for additional outbreaks, as reported by MIT Technology Review.
Verily want to make it public about its conduct field test of its mosquitoes. Since there has been a lot of help requested, say Upson, "But if we are going to release mosquitoes in the real world, we need to talk to communities. This isn't like launching a consumer Internet service."
There has not been any announcement on which cities or countries will experience this cure. Alphabet's life science department is having collaboration with Glaxo to develop "bio electronic" drugs. There are many ideas that Verily are considering for controlling and eradicating mosquitoes.
One such technology that's at an early stage they are looking at is the gene drives, where mosquitoes would pass the DNA to their offspring and later poison them. The mosquitoes would be infected with the bacteria called Wolbachia, and Verily thinks it can make the mosquitoes fast and cheaply.
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