EPA Requests Nominations of Peer Reviewers to Evaluate Design Considerations for Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes
Released July 23, 2025
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking nominations of scientific and technical experts to be considered as ad hoc reviewers in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) review of EPA’s white paper on genetically engineered (GE) female mosquitoes for mosquito control.
The FIFRA SAP serves as one of the primary scientific peer review mechanisms of EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention and is structured to provide independent scientific advice, information and recommendations to the agency on pesticides and pesticide-related issues as to the impact of regulatory actions on human health and the environment.
EPA will solicit review and input from the FIFRA SAP on methodologies for determining the absence of novel proteins in the saliva of GE female mosquitoes that are used for mosquito control. This includes specific aspects of the agency’s draft memorandum that provides considerations for developers of GE mosquitoes. Feedback from this review will be considered in the development of a final memorandum. These documents are anticipated to be released for public comment in late August 2025. EPA will hold the FIFRA SAP meeting on November 3-5, 2025. Information about how to register for the meeting and provide comments will be posted on the FIFRA SAP website this fall.
Nominations for ad hoc reviewers must be submitted by August 14, 2025, to the OCSPP Peer Review mailbox at OCSPP-PeerReview@epa.gov. These nominations will help the agency in selecting approximately six to nine ad hoc reviewers to assist the FIFRA SAP with their review.
Nominees should be scientists with sufficient professional qualifications, including training and experience, to provide expert comments on the scientific issues for this review. Individuals nominated for this FIFRA SAP peer review meeting should have expertise in one or more of the following areas: entomology; mosquito biology; molecular biology; and analytical methods for nucleic acid and protein detection.
Prospective candidates will be asked to submit confidential financial information which shall fully disclose, among other financial interests, the candidate's employment, stocks and bonds, testimonies, and where applicable, sources of research support. EPA will evaluate any prior involvement with the development of the documents under consideration (including previous scientific peer review) and the candidates' financial disclosure information to assess whether there are financial conflicts of interest, or appearance of a loss of impartiality, before the candidate is considered further for selection and service on the FIFRA SAP.
For additional information, please contact the DFO Alie Muneer at muneer.alie@epa.gov or view the Federal Register Notice.