Scientists have genetically engineered malaria parasites and are using mosquitoes as flying syringes to inject these parasites into humans, according to new research from Gates-funded Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands.
The study, published in December in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that delivering genetically modified malaria parasites through mosquito bites induced an immune response in human participants without causing the disease. The plan? Create a next-generation malaria vaccine that uses mosquitoes to vaccinate humans whether we want it or not.
In an earlier trial, researchers genetically altered Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for most malaria-related deaths, to stop developing after 24 hours of infection in humans. The researchers called the parasite “GA1,” but they found it offered minimal protection against malaria.
Hoping for a better outcome in this study, researchers engineered GA2 to stop developing around six days after infection before the parasite could infiltrate the blood cells and evolve into its deadly phase. Bill Gates-backed Gavi, or The Vaccine Alliance, says this allows the bite to trigger the immune system like a vaccination without causing disease.
To test this theory, scientists used mosquitoes as live delivery mechanisms, infecting the insects with the modified parasites and then allowing them to bite human participants.
A group of 43 healthy adults between the ages of 19 and 35 who previously had no record of malaria infection were exposed to 50 bites from GA2-infected mosquitoes, 50 bites from GA1-infected mosquitoes, or 50 bites from uninfected mosquitoes (placebo) in three vaccination sessions at 28-day intervals.
The bites delivered the genetically modified parasites directly into their systems, mimicking a natural malaria infection. Researchers then screened participants for any side effects and measured their immune responses. Three weeks following their third devouring by mosquitoes, the participants underwent malaria infection with five bites from infected mosquitoes.
According to the study, eight of nine participants (89%) in the GA2 group received protection against malaria, one of eight (13%) in the GA1 group received protection, and none of the participants in the placebo group received protection.
The study reported that participants developed antibodies and T-cell responses against malaria, suggesting that their immune systems recognized the parasite and prepared defenses against future exposure without developing the full disease. None of the participants reportedly developed severe adverse events that “were considered by the investigators to be related to the trial intervention” or that progressed to clinical malaria.
However, the study’s method and funding source have raised significant concerns. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded over $1.5 million to Leiden University Medical Center to understand “population and geographic factors affecting response to malaria vaccines in endemic countries.”
In November, the Gates Foundation awarded another $2.2 million grant “to improve health outcomes and prevent premature death in populations around the world suffering from high rates of malaria infection by developing next-generation malaria vaccine candidates.”
Critics argue that allowing mosquitoes to act as “flying syringes” crosses a line that raises serious questions about informed consent, safety, and the long-term consequences of genetic engineering:
What happens if genetically modified mosquitoes are accidentally released into the wild?
How will researchers ensure that the modified parasites do not evolve or interact with other species in harmful ways?
What are the long-term effects of exposure to these genetically engineered parasites?
What about informed consent? Perhaps some people, especially those who are not at risk of being exposed to malaria, don’t want to be bitten by these mosquitoes at all.
Through his foundation and personal initiatives, Bill Gates has sought to influence an extensive array of sectors over the years, including public health, media, education policy, artificial intelligence, insect populations, American agriculture, energy, foreign policy, and even the environment itself.
In a January 2021 MSNBC interview, Gates criticized content that undermined trust in masks and vaccines, positioning himself as a vocal advocate for global health interventions. Since then, his foundation has poured over $168 million into malaria vaccine research.
In an August blog post, Gates highlighted the challenges posed by malaria, describing the parasite as “remarkably adaptable” and likening efforts to control it to “a global game of high-stakes whack-a-mole,” where resistance to drugs and interventions emerges in new forms. For Gates, a "malaria-free" future hinges on deploying mRNA vaccines and the genetic modification of mosquito populations.
When asked about his expansive and controversial efforts in a Times interview, Gates defended his initiatives, stating, “If you don’t like what I’m doing, give away your money too.”
Gates framed his philanthropic efforts as essential, particularly in areas where public funding or political will has fallen short. Yet his approach allows him to dictate solutions with little regard for public input or democratic processes. Gates’ outsized influence often bypasses the mechanisms of accountability that typically govern public health initiatives, leaving critical decisions in the hands of one billionaire rather than the broader global community.
“One of our biggest challenges isn’t scientific; it’s financial and political,” he noted.
Gates believes that societal and structural challenges can impede the advancements his foundation seeks to promote. Yet these experiments create risks that society didn’t sign up for and isn’t fully prepared to handle.
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Bill Gates needs to be locked up in a institution for the criminally insane.
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