Fighting Malaria With Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

Nearly half of the world’s population inhabits an area at risk for malaria – but scientists hope to change that. Through the engineering of gene drives, malaria-transmitting mosquitoes could be irradiated completely. That might sound like a great idea, but scientists and ethicists have concerns. Genetic modifications for human benefit have always been controversial, but “outfighting nature,” as one anti-genetic modification organization director says, is risky because “once the genie is out of the bottle, you cannot put it back in.” Genetically Modified Drives Genetic modification (GM) technology has developed over the last two decades. The standard transformation introduces a new, lab-altered gene into an organism such as an animal or fruit. However, plans for malaria-carrying mosquitoes go a step further. Scientists will present a gene drive (GV), a lab-created gene that can

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