Mosquitoes are responsible for more human deaths every year than any other animal, including other humans, due to the pathogens they carry. However, only a few of the 3,500 mosquito species actually transmit deadly diseases. In order to get rid of the most lethal mosquitoes, scientists have been conducting experiments with engineered technologies called “gene drives”. Before gene drives are released into the wild, there are many questions that need to be answered, such as whether gene drives could cross into and cause the collapse of non-target species, how a mosquito population’s collapse might affect ecosystems, and whether alternatives such as gene drives that make mosquitoes resistant to the malaria parasite could be explored. Researchers are also developing countermeasures to reverse the effects of gene drives if needed. Meanwhile, some people have called for a halt to gene drive research out of concern for the possible consequences. This raises another question: who should decide whether to release gene drives? It is essential that communities, scientists, regulators, and governments of the countries most affected by mosquito-borne diseases be highly involved in the research and decision-making processes. Conversations are currently underway at all levels to establish a system to manage this new area of research—and the ethical questions it carries.