Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Released in Malaysia

In a first of its kind, researchers from Malaysia's Institute for Medical Research released 6,000 genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild. This represents a first exploratory step towards proposed long-term solutions to malaria that draw from one of two strategies:

1. Inhibit the ability of mosquitoes to harbor the malaria parasite
2. Reduce the life-expectancy and range of mosquitoes to limit infectious potential

This particular experiment was testing several key parameters of the second approach. The researchers hope to gather critical data about whether (and how quickly) the changes they've made to the test mosquitoes will propagate in a wild population. These trials were conducted in a remote, uninhabited site despite significant protest from environmental groups.

I'm personally quite interested in seeing the feasibility data yielded from this experiment, although it is very likely that a modification which reduces the survival potential of its carriers will be heavily selected against and fail to spread significantly in a wild mosquito population.