A British biotech company wants to release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes into the Florida Keys as part of an experiment, if the FDA approves. Some remain hesitant the project should go forward.

Biotech firm Oxitec, founded by Oxford University researchers, wants to release the mosquitoes into the Florida Keys as part of an experiment to eradicate dangerous diseases spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, according to The Associated Press. These diseases include dengue and chikungunya virus.

The mosquitoes have been selectively bred the A. aegypti mosquito "with fragments of proteins from the herpes simplex virus and E. coli bacteria as well as genes from coral and cabbage," a combination that kills the mosquito larvae.

The company plans to release the male mosquitoes into the Key Haven community of around 444 residencies as part of the experiment. Male mosquitoes do not bite humans but feed on nectar. The males would mate with females in the wild and the offspring would die.

Though the company has assured the general public the mosquitoes will not harm humans or cause any issues, some remain skeptical. They argue the experiment would help lower the risk of dengue and chikungunya infections.

"What Oxitec is trying to spin is that it's highly improbable that there will be negative consequences of this foreign DNA entering someone that's bitten by an Oxitec mosquito," said Phil Lounibos, who studies mosquito control at Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory.

"I'm on their side, in that consequences are highly unlikely. But to say that there's no genetically modified DNA that might get into a human, that's kind of a gray matter."

Some residents have started a Change.org petition to convince the FDA to not allow Oxitec to perform the experiment. The petition has already gained more than 138,000 signatures. In the petition, residents express concern over how the mosquitoes may affect the wildlife and ask Oxitec to explain if the viruses may mutate further.

Chris Creese, a spokesperson for Oxitec, said the experiment would be safe and beneficial. She explained they had performed a similar experiment in the Cayman Islands with 3.3. million modified mosquitoes.

"We are confident of the safety of our mosquito, as there's no mechanism for any adverse effect on human health. The proteins are non-toxic and non-allergenic," she said.

The FDA has said the project will move forward only until the agency has "thoroughly reviewed all the necessary information."