Exploring Anopheles gambiae Giles, 1902, (Family: Culicidae) Doublesex Gene Editing via CRISPR and Its Implications for CAR T-Cell Therapy and Vector Control in Nigeria

Advances in CRISPR-based editing and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell engineering have pushed modern biomedical research into practical, high-impact space. This study reports a workshop-based investigation that applied CRISPR guideRNA design and promoter analysis methods routinely used in CAR T-cell design to the doublesex (dsx) gene of Anopheles gambiae. Using Ensembl and NCBI resources, multiple sequence alignment across Anopheles species and motif searches in the upstream region of dsx were performed to identify conserved target windows and a putative upstream regulatory region. The intron – exon boundary targeted by contemporary gene-drive strategies (intron4–exon5) proved highly conserved across sampled species, supporting its suitability for CRISPR targeting. A candidate promoter motif architecture, including a predicted TATA box and initiator element within a conserved upstream window, is presented as a putative regulatory locus for further experimental validation. The paper situates these findings in two applied contexts: precision promoter selection for CAR expression in therapeutic cell engineering, and CRISPR-driven mosquito population control with potential to reduce malaria burden in Nigeria. Limitations and ethical considerations are discussed with emphasis on the need for local, experimental follow-up.