One of the most bizarre proposals for solving the problem of the malaria is the release of genetically modified mosquitos. This method was questioned in the lead article in MalariaWorld last week ‘Releasing Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Burkina Faso is Dangerous’ that links to a discussion by a French journal of a publication by Ms. Irina Vekcha, Professor of Genetics at ENSA (University of Agriculture of Senegal), which highlights the dangers of gene drive experimentation, which is currently at the end of its second phase in Burkina Faso, before moving on to the third phase that involves the use of gene drive technology.
And this week an article in Azo Life Sciences, ‘Gene-Edited Mosquitoes Block Malaria Transmission’ discusses a paper in Nature, ‘Driving a protective allele of the mosquito FREP1 gene to combat malaria’ by Li et al.
I am sceptical. The plan reads like one hatched up by a megalomaniacal ‘Bond Villain’. And the funding by many people’s real-life personification of such a character, Bill Gates, in the Burkina Faso release fuels this notion.
However, even if malaria were transmitted by mosquitos, it is difficult to understand how the genetic modifications of mosquitos would be evolutionarily stable to be effective or even dangerous as Ms Vekcha fears. Mosquitos have evolved over hundreds of millions of years and the human addition of a chunk of genetic material to its DNA is not likely to result in a creature as evolved and suited to its environment as those in the wild. While Li et al’s idea of creating Anopheles stephensi that is genetically less likely to be infected with Plasmodium falciparum, is not as ridiculous as the older idea of releasing sterile male mosquitos, the progeny of such creatures will not survive as well as those evolved by old fashioned Darwinism.
It is an effective method for genetic engineering researchers like Li to receive funding from people with more money than sense. But is it dangerous as Vekcha fears? There is much discussion in the article of how unsuccessful trials have been. Previous experiments with GM in Burkina Faso, such as Bt cotton, ended in failure.
The major fear highlighted about the introduction of modified Anopheles gambiae by a team from Imperial College London, led by Andrea Crisanti, is that the only male offspring will lead to the elimination of the species. However, reading a discussion of the natural balance of numbers of males and females in any good book about evolution such as ‘The Selfish Gene’ by Richard Dawkins will soon remove that fear.