ORAL PRESENTATION Open Access Developing GM insects for sustainable pest control in agriculture and human health

With increasing demand for effective control of insect pests coupled with environmental sustainability, farmers and disease vector control authorities are facing enor-mous challenges to, respectively, maintain food produc-tion and protect human health. Pest control has long relied upon insecticides, which can be very effective, but continued reliance is hampered by several factors. Con-cerns over their potential impacts on the environment and human health have led to implementation of restrictions on residues on food, the number of sprays per season, implementation of spray-free pre-harvest periods, and withdrawal from the market of some modes of action. Insect populations develop resistance to insecticides, and there are a limited range of modes of action available. These issues have driven the devel