News outlets discuss a new report from the U.K. House of Lords Science and Technology Committee encouraging research into genetically modified insects to reduce disease transmission.

The Guardian: Stepping up GM insect research a ‘moral duty’ for U.K. says Lords committee
“Britain has a ‘moral duty’ to step up research into genetic modification as a way of controlling insect pests and disease carriers, according to a new report from the House of Lords. Half the planet is at risk from infections such as dengue fever and malaria and countless lives could be saved by the introduction and spread of genetically modified (GM) insects that could no longer transmit such diseases, says the Lords Science and Technology Committee after a four-month study of the technology, its possibilities and its challenges…” (Radford, 12/16).

Reuters: Lawmakers call for British trials of genetically modified insects
“…An influential committee of parliament’s upper house said GM insects … had powerful potential against diseases like malaria and dengue, and in controlling crop pests that cost billions in lost production. ‘But the development of GM insect technologies has come to a screeching halt because the E.U. (European Union) regulatory system is woefully inadequate,’ the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee said in a report…” (Kelland, 12/16).