Scientists believe they are closer to being able to change the DNA of wild mosquitoes in order to combat malaria.
In the laboratory, they made a gene spread from a handful of mosquitoes to most of the population in just a few generations, according to a report in Nature.
If the right gene can be made to spread then researchers hope to reduce the number of cases of malaria.
Other academics have described the study as a "major step forward".
The World Health Organisation estimated that malaria caused nearly one million deaths in 2008.
Spreading resistance
Research groups have already created "malaria-resistant mosquitoes" using techniques such as introducing genes to disrupt the malaria parasite's development.
The research, however, has a great challenge - getting those genes to spread from the genetically-modified mosquitoes to the vast number of wild insects across the globe.
Unless the gene gives the mosquito an advantage, the gene will likely disappear.
Scientists at Imperial College London and the University of Washington, in Seattle, believe they have found a solution
Copyright, Blaise APLOGAN, 2010,© Bienvenu sur Babilown
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