Current interventions, such as drug treatments, bed nets and insecticide spraying, have helped to lower the burden of malaria but have not been able to eradicate the disease in many countries.
Gene drive ensures this modification is inherited at a higher rate than it normally would, thus reducing the fertility of the mosquito populations over time and ultimately their numbers.
The WHO stated[4] in its Position Statement on the evaluation and use of GMMs for the control of vector-borne diseases published on October 14, 2020: "In the spirit of fostering innovation, WHO takes the position that all potentially beneficial new technologies, including GMMs, should be investigated to determine whether they could be useful in the continued fight against diseases of public health concern.
Such research should be conducted in steps and be supported by clear governance mechanisms to evaluate the health, environmental and ecological implications.
Individual labs also received additional funding from a variety of sources to support their work, including but not limited to: DEFRA, The European Commission, MRC, NIH, Uganda Ministry of Health, Uganda National Council for Science & Technology, Wellcome Trust and the World Bank.