Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Could Fight Malaria

Despite the efforts of mankind, malaria remains one of the biggest killers of human beings on the planet. Some 400 million annually suffer its effects, and 1-3 million die each and every year from the disease, most of them children in sub-Saharan Africa. The disease is readily preventable, and it can be treated relatively cheaply. There is no reason for these deaths beyond a lack of political will. This journal pleads guilty to the charge of being a bit of a bore on the subject. So a recent announcement that genetically modified mosquitoes could help fight the spread of malaria is grounds for a cautious optimism.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, have engineered a mosquito that has a gene that prevents it from serving as a host to the malaria parasite. The whole thing appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal. The idea is to release these malaria-resistant mosquitoes into those regions where the disease is endemic and to let them reproduce. As they compete with malaria-carrying mosquitoes for food, the overall number of malaria-carrying mosquitoes will drop.

There are, naturally, some quibbles with this plan. First and foremost, the new gene may have unexpected consequences for mosquitoes and humans. Second, it may be that the new gene is not adaptive for the long-term, in which case, the “good” mosquitoes will die out as a result of the competition with “bad” mosquitoes. Third, resources to effect this plan may be better utilized in more traditional efforts to prevent the spread of malaria, such as nets over beds, treatment with doses of ACT or research on a vaccine.

Co-author of the study, Dr. Jason Rasgon, agrees, telling the BBC, “What we did was a laboratory, proof-of-principle experiment; we’re not anywhere close to releasing them into the wild right now.” He added, “I think it will be 10 to 20 years before transgenic mosquitoes are released into nature. It’s very difficult to predict what will happen when we release these things. There is quite a lot of research that needs to be done, both in terms of genetics and the ecology of the mosquitoes; and also research to address all the social, ethical and legal issues associated with releasing transgenic organisms into the environment.

All the same, when it comes to dealing with a disease that kills a million or so people a year, every avenue of attack should be assessed even if it proves not worthwhile. Releasing transgenic insects into the biosphere does represent a tampering with nature that humans undertake at their peril. At the same time, letting a million people die every year represents a failure to tamper with nature that can’t continue.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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