THE costly effort to eradicate one of the world's deadliest diseases has received a controversial boost — genetically modified mosquitoes that cannot pass on malaria.

Scientific trials have revealed that the GM mosquitoes could quickly establish themselves in the wild and drive out natural malaria-carrying insects — and break the route through which humans are infected.

The strategy is likely to be contentious because it would require the unprecedented release of tens of thousands of GM organisms into the wild. But it has raised hopes among scientists, some of whom believe it may be powerful enough to bring under control a disease that strikes 300 million people a year and causes more than a million deaths.