Genetic modification to eradicate populations of organisms carrying detrimental diseases that pose as a threat to humans, sounds like an ethical solution to prevent the further spread of diseases such as malaria. Historically, malaria spreads fast and wipes out portions of the human population around the globe. It is not a simple disease to treat, especially in poverty-stricken communities. What if CRISPR as a genetic drive system could help prevent malaria from spreading further? Should we take advantage of this genetic modification system to preserve human life?
Andrew Hammond and several other scientists, summarize the potential of CRISPR technology to the extent that it meets the bare minimum for the development of a gene drive needed to target female reproduction in mosquito and other insect populations. They state in the article that the findings that have come out of the research of CRISPR technology have the potential to expedite the development of gene drives so that they can gradually eliminate mosquito populations to the point where the post-CRISPR population will not support malaria transmission.
The status quo often teaches us to find the quickest solutions to the most prevalent threats, however in the ecological sense, eliminating populations of insects through artificial modification can bring consequences to the overall ecosystem. Although we are a completely different species from mosquitos altogether, we still coexist with them and infections that occur in nature are exactly that, natural. Eliminating mosquitos with CRISPR technology modifying the female mosquito ecosystem, will gradually over time, mess with the immune system of human beings. This is just a first stem to immune systems in human beings growing to become more sensitive the more we try to use science to make the world to be what we think is perfect for our species. CRISPR technology, if used sparingly and for the right reasons, can save populations of people, however it has the power to “substantially reduce mosquito populations”, which in fact messes with the natural occurrence of that species’ reproduction in nature.
To conclude, CRISPR technology is an awe-inspiring discovery that will definitely benefit human beings, however I believe that the focus, in terms of preventing malaria, should be on advancing repellant products for humans (creams, repellent sprays, etc.), instead of outrightly messing with the natural course of nature. Science technology should benefit the immunity of humans and the growth of humans, instead being used in the ecosystem on a large scale with potential consequences for living things everywhere.
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