Genetically modified mosquito startup raises $6.8 million in venture capital

State of play: Oxitec already has released more than a billion bugs, including in Brazil and the Cayman Islands, and last year the EPA and state officials approved field tests in the Florida Keys.

The bottom line: Oxitec mosquitoes are all males that carry a "self-limiting" gene released when they breed, resulting in a generation that dies before adulthood. It's a novel solution to human disease spread — particularly where native mosquitoes are increasingly resistant to insecticides — but many locals are concerned about how this will impact the broader ecosystem.