GENETICS
It sounds like the plot of a horror movie: millions of genetically modified insects released into the wild. But what if this could prevent the spread of a deadly disease? That's the ethical dilemma raised by a recent genetic breakthrough in altering mosquitoes so they can't spread malaria.
In June, a team of European researchers headed by Andrea Crisanti of London's Imperial College announced that it had successfully introduced a gene from a jellyfish into the egg of an anopheles mosquito - the kind that nurtures the malaria-causing plasmodium parasite. The jellyfish gene doesn't prevent the insects from carrying malaria, but it confirms that anopheles mosquitoes can be genetically modified, a goal that has eluded researchers until now.
This research has raised hopes of eradicating malaria, which kills more than a million people every year. As the malaria parasite mutates, some of the drugs used to treat the disease become ineffective. Though mosquitoes rarely carry malaria in the US, they do carry West Nile encephalitis, a parasite-borne disease that was blamed for seven deaths and 55 illnesses last year on the East Coast. In New York City this summer, kids stayed home from sleepaway camp, and Central Park was closed and sprayed for bugs.
Crisanti says it will take a year or two to create the first plasmodium-proof mosquitoes. The ultimate goal is to release the genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild to displace the parasite-carrying insects. But critics worry that this kind of scheme could have unforeseen consequences.
"Genes are not Legos," says Martin Teitel, executive director of the Council for Responsible Genetics. "When you alter genes, there are lots of unanticipated outcomes." Better to reverse the global warming that has exacerbated the spread of malaria, say critics of genetic modification, than risk creating monster mosquitoes capable of transmitting diseases that are even more virulent.
Crisanti's next step is to organize a meeting of the scientific community to discuss the social and biological implications of the plan. Health officials from around the world will have to be consulted, and studies will have to be conducted on what effects, if any, a modified mosquito might have on its natural predators. University of Notre Dame insect geneticist David Severson says it may be several years before genetically modified mosquitoes can successfully be released, but he believes the research should move forward.
"While we're talking," Severson says, "millions of people are suffering."
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