Gene drives are engineered DNA elements that can spread through a population faster than normal inheritance. The commentary says this makes them a potentially powerful tool for controlling mosquitoes that transmit diseases such as malaria and dengue, but not a simple cure-all.
The biological idea behind gene drives is not entirely artificial. Viruses, transposable elements, and other selfish genetic material already propagate themselves in nature, although evolution and ecological pressures limit their spread.
Modern tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 and germline transformation have made synthetic gene drives feasible. The commentary distinguishes between population-suppressing drives, which reduce mosquito numbers, and population-modifying drives, which make mosquitoes resistant to malaria parasites.