Australian researchers have developed the first proof of concept for genetic engineering in a mammal.
In research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists have shown for the first time that agene drive can be used to induce female infertility in the common house mouse.
The initial focus of the study was to use the technology on small islands, where natural geographic barriers could be put in place, and where rodents were a threat to seabirds.
It would take about 20 years for 250 genetically engineered mice to wipe out the island's 200,000 mice.
Gene drives can be used to suppress the population of certain organisms but are yet to be implemented.
A single copy of a gene has a 50% chance of being passed down to the next generation. Gene drives rely on naturally occurring or synthetic genetic elements which are more likely to be passed on to future generations.
The team used Crispr to modify the genes in laboratory mice. Male mice carry a naturally occurring gene that is passed on to most of their offspring.
Thomas said that they tinkered with the selfish genetic element so it would create a female infertility change.
If you put a small number of gene-drive mice on the island, you will get the spread of infertility genes. Once this change has gone through the population, individuals that carry it will breed with each other, leading to a population crash.
The use of the gene drive in a field release is at least five years away, and will only go ahead if further testing shows it can be done safely. He said that the gene drive wouldn't affect native rodents.
Thomas said that it was important to only develop versions of the drive that had an in-built safety switch. The researchers have been working on the project.
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The funding for the research came from two governments. Susan Close, South Australia's deputy premier, said in a statement: "These promising findings demonstrate how gene drive technology may be a game-changer in managing the impacts of mice on our environment, community, and agricultural sector."
Steve Henry is a researcher and mouse expert at the CSIRO. The application is at the cutting edge of technology.
Henry said more research was needed to understand if it could be used in the agricultural setting. There is only one way to control mice in a crop system and that is zinc phosphide. We have to be very careful about how we use it.
Some scientists argue that global frameworks are needed to regulate a technology that has the potential to be dangerous.
More than 4,000 Australians were surveyed about their attitudes to gene drive technology. It found that two thirds of respondents were supportive or strongly supportive of their development for pest control, and that people were more likely to be supportive if they felt that cats were a problem in their area.
Anopheles mosquitoes, which are the cause of Malaria, have been proposed to be targeted with genes.
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