A genetically modified mosquito has been created that can resist malaria.

Scientists in the US have bred a GM mosquito in a lab - and they think it could provide the key to fighting the disease.

A new gene that is resistance to malaria was inserted into a mosquito’s DNA using the gene editing method called Crispr.

When the genetically modified mosquitoes mated, the resistance was passed down to their offspring, according to the report in the PNAS journal.

It could mean that if these mosquitoes bite people, they may not pass on the parasite that causes malaria to spread.

Almost half of the world’s population - 3.2 billion people - are at risk of malaria. The disease claims the lives of about 580,000 people each year.

Researchers at the University of California used a mosquito called Anopheles stephensi, found in India, for their tests.

By altering the insect’s DNA, they can make it an unsuitable host for the malaria parasite.

Almost all of the mosquito offspring inherited the the resistant DNA.

Professor David Conway, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told the BBC: “It’s not the finished product yet but it certainly looks promising. It does look like the genetic editing works.”

(Pictures: Thinkstock/AFP)

