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Featured Film:

Gene Drive for Grey Squirrel Control in Great Britain

Gordon Research Conference

May 19-24,2024

GENETIC BIOCONTROL

Castelldefels, Spain

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The Latest About Gene Drive and Genetic Biocontrol

The GeneConvene Virtual Institute is built on a database of content in the categories shown in the tab labels below. Content coming into the Virtual Institute in these categories can be seen in each tab as well as all of the content in each of the categories, organized chronologically.

Bypassing Mendel’s First Law: Transmission Ratio Distortion in Mammals

G. Friocourt, A. Perrin, P. A. Saunders, E. Nikalayevich, C. Voisset, C. Coutton, G. Martinez and F. Morel, International Journal Molecular Sciences, 24. 2023.

The different biological mechanisms inducing a transmission ratio distortion ranging from gamete formation to lethality at post-natal stages.

Mendel’s law of segregation states that the two alleles at a diploid locus should be transmitted equally to the progeny. A genetic segregation distortion, also referred to as transmission ratio distortion (TRD), is a statistically significant deviation from this rule. TRD has been observed in several mammal species and may be due to different biological mechanisms occurring at diverse time points ranging from gamete formation to lethality at post-natal stages. In this review, we describe examples of TRD and their possible mechanisms in mammals based on current knowledge. We first focus on the differences between TRD in male and female gametogenesis in the house mouse, in which some of the most well studied TRD systems have been characterized. We then describe known TRD in other mammals, with a special focus on the farmed species and in the peculiar common shrew species. Finally, we discuss TRD in human diseases. Thus far, to our knowledge, this is the first time that such description is proposed. This review will help better comprehend the processes involved in TRD. A better understanding of these molecular mechanisms will imply a better comprehension of their impact on fertility and on genome evolution. In turn, this should allow for better genetic counseling and lead to better care for human families.

More related to this:

Mendel’s First Law: partisan interests and the parliament of genes

What can we learn from selfish loci that break Mendel’s law?

Mendel’s laws of heredity on his 200th birthday: What have we learned by considering exceptions?

Transmission ratio distortion: review of concept and implications for genetic association studies

Standard deviations: The biological bases of transmission ratio distortion

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Scholarly Literature.

Scholarly Literature

This is an aggregation of scholarly literature from peer-reviewed journals, bioRxiv , medRxiv and arXiv preprint serversfocused on natural and engineered selfish genetic elements and genetic biocontrol. New citations are added as they appear. This content is intended for anyone interested in the scholarly literature on gene drive and genetic biocontrol.

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	Assessing potential hybridization between a hypothetical gene drive-modified Drosophila suzukii and nontarget Drosophila species S. Wolf, J. Collatz, J. Enkerli, F. Widmer and J. Romeis, Risk Analysis, 2023. Genetically engineered gene drives (geGD) are potentially powerful tools for suppressing or even eradicating populations of pest insects. Before living geGD insects can be released into the environment, they must pass an environmental risk assessment to ensure that their release ...
	Harnessing Wolbachia cytoplasmic incompatibility alleles for confined gene drive: A modeling study J. Li and J. Champer, PLOS Genetics, 19:e1010591. 2023. Wolbachia are maternally-inherited bacteria, which can spread rapidly in populations by manipulating reproduction. cifA and cifB are genes found in Wolbachia phage that are responsible for cytoplasmic incompatibility, the most common type of Wolbachia reproductive interference. ...
	Complicated expansion trajectories of insertion sequences and potential association with horizontal transfer of Wolbachia DNA Y. H. Miao, D. W. Huang and J. H. Xiao, Zoological Research, 44:273-275. 2023. Insertion sequences (ISs) are the simplest structural transposable elements (TEs) in prokaryotes, consisting only of a transposase coding sequence and its bilateral short terminal inverted repeats. Due to their gradually streamlined genomic construction, TEs rarely exist in the ...
	Closing the gap to effective gene drive in Aedes aegypti by exploiting germline regulatory elements M. A. E. Anderson, E. Gonzalez, J. X. D. Ang, L. Shackleford, K. Nevard, S. A. N. Verkuijl, M. P. Edgington, T. Harvey-Samuel and L. Alphey, Nature Communications, 14:338. 2023. CRISPR/Cas9-based homing gene drives have emerged as a potential new approach to mosquito control. While attempts have been made to develop such systems in Aedes aegypti, none have been able to match the high drive efficiency observed in Anopheles species. Here we generate Ae. ...

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Media Coverage

This is a database of print and digital media coverage of gene drive technologies and genetic biocontrol-related topics. This database is intended to serve experts and non-experts by capturing how gene drive/genetic biocontrol technologies and issues around the technologies are being represented, discussed, debated and evaluated by publics.

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	Researchers Create New System for Safer Gene-Drive Testing and Development M. Aguilera, UC San Diego Today, 2023. In the journal Nature Communications, University of California San Diego researchers led by former Postdoctoral Scholar Gerard Terradas together with Postdoctoral Scholar Zhiqian Li and Professor Ethan Bier, in close collaboration with UC Berkeley graduate student Jared Bennett ...
	Biotech company released 2.4 billions GM Mosquitoes in two parts of the U.S C. Victorial, NEWSBREAK, 2022. Due to the high death rate that mosquitoes have inflicted, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the release of 2.4 billion genetically modified mosquitoes in selected regions of California and Florida. These modified mosquitoes were created by a biotechnology ...
	How Selfish Genes Succeed: Critical Insights Uncovered About Dangerous DNA STOWERS INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH, SciTechDaily, 2022. New findings from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research uncover critical insights about how a dangerous selfish gene—considered to be a parasitic portion of DNA—functions and survives. Understanding this dynamic is a valuable resource for the broader community studying ...
	Genetically modified mosquitoes … could CRISPR gene editing end malaria? D. Wells, SelectScience, 2022. Despite being a preventable and treatable disease, malaria is currently affecting the lives of more than 200 million people.1 This results in over half a million deaths per year, with 80% of this mortality occurring in children under the age of 5.2 In addition to the tragic ...

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Risk, Regulation, and Policy

This is a collection of scholarly works, government and non-government documents and reports related to policy, risk assessment, and regulation of gene drive/genetic biocontrol technologies.

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	Assessing potential hybridization between a hypothetical gene drive-modified Drosophila suzukii and nontarget Drosophila species S. Wolf, J. Collatz, J. Enkerli, F. Widmer and J. Romeis, Risk Analysis, 2023. Genetically engineered gene drives (geGD) are potentially powerful tools for suppressing or even eradicating populations of pest insects. Before living geGD insects can be released into the environment, they must pass an environmental risk assessment to ensure that their release ...
	Environmental, Socio-economic, and Health Impact Assessment (ESHIA) for Gene Drive Organisms isaaa Inc. and Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research, ISAAA, 2023. Understanding the possible positive and negative impacts that gene drive organisms could have on the environment and people is essential before these technologies are considered for release, whether for research purposes or for use. Different impacts are assessed through ...
	Genes drive organisms and slippery slopes D. B. Resnik, R. F. Medina, F. Gould, G. Church and J. Kuzma, Pathog Glob Health, 2022. The bioethical debate about using gene drives to alter or eradicate wild populations has focused mostly on issues concerning short-term risk assessment and management, governance and oversight, and public and community engagement, but has not examined big-picture- 'where is this ...
	Gene editing and agrifood systems FAO, FAO, 2022. Gene-editing technologies represent a promising new tool for plant and animal breeding in low- and middle-income countries. They enhance precision and efficiency over current breeding methods and could lead to rapid development of improved plant varieties and animal breeds. ...

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Webinars

A curated collection of webinarspertaining to gene drive/genetic biocontrol technologies.

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	Wolbachia Biology, Mechanisms and Applications 2022 David O'Brochta, GeneConvene Global Collaborative, 2022. Intracellular and extracellular symbiotic/commensal bacteria have enormous potential when manipulated and deployed appropriately to serve as agents of control of insects and the pathogens they transmit. Wolbachia, an intracellular bacteria, is a well studied system and one that ...
	Laboratory Containment of Arthropods Capable of Gene Drive: Best Practices and Recommendations Hector Quemada, GeneConvene Global Collaborative, 2022. This webinar is presented by members of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's American Committee of Medical Entomologists who were involved in drafting a recent Addendum to the ASTMH's Arthropod Containment Guidelines that specifically consider arthropods with ...
	Demystifying the Convention on Biological Diversity Hector Quemada and David O'Brochta, GeneConvene Global Collaborative, 2022. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international agreement aimed at providing the legal framework for country cooperation to conserve biodiversity, while also enabling its sustainable use, and providing for fair and equitable sharing of the benefits derived from ...
	Genetic Drive Systems in Nature David O'Brochta and Hector Quemada, GeneConvene Global Collaborative, 2022. Intra genomic genetic conflicts are ubiquitous in nature and have shaped and continue to shape the evolution of plants, animals, and microbes. These conflicts can result in preferential transmission - drive - of genes, various genetic elements, and even whole chromosomes. ...

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Videos

Video

A curated collection of videos pertaining to gene drive/genetic biocontrol technologies. Included are videos and recorded webinars.

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	Discovery of 119-Million year old Selfish Genes Casts Doubt on Established Evolution Beliefs Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 2022. Meiotic drivers, a kind of selfish gene, are indeed selfish. They are found in virtually all species’ genomes, including humans, and unjustly transfer their genetic material to more than half of their offspring, resulting in infertility and impaired organism health. Their ...
	SHOULD WE CREATE GENE DRIVE GREY SQUIRRELS S. Hartley and T. Law, GeneDriveGovernance.org, 2022. UK scientists have proposed gene drive as a management tool to control grey squirrels. Now is a good time to talk about this emerging technology because the hopes and concerns of experts, stakeholders and the public can help to determine if or how it might be developed. To help ...
	WORLDWIDE: EXPERTS ON GENE DRIVES Stop Gene Drive, STOP GENE DRIVES, 2022. We are travelling the world speaking to some of the world’s leading thinkers, activists and academics on the impact of gene drives. We interviewed more than 20 experts from around the world
	Inside the Plan to Release Life-Saving Mosquitoes WIRED, WIRED, 2022. The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District is turning towards a novel tool to combat harmful insecticide-resistant mosquitoes like the Aedes aegypti. What are they doing exactly? They're releasing millions of genetically modified male mosquitoes engineered to reduce the ...

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Podcasts

A curated collection of podcasts pertaining to gene drive/genetic biocontrol technologies.

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	Genetically-Modified Mosquitos Could Soon Be Released in California A. Madrigal, KQED, 2022. Millions of genetically-modified, non-biting mosquitoes may soon be set loose in California after federal regulators gave the green light to a study aimed at preventing transmission of diseases like Zika and dengue. British biotech firm Oxitech says its technology alters male ...
	Will genetic modification of mosquitoes take a bite out of insects’ population? N. Patel, KCRW, 2022. An invasive species of aggressive “ankle biters” called the Aedes aegypti mosquito is now in LA, and it’s spreading quickly. These tiny vampires can lay eggs in a space as small as a water-filled bottle cap, and they carry diseases like yellow fever and dengue. A British ...
	An army of genetically engineered mosquitoes is about to be released M. Menard, KNX NEWS, 2022. A British biotech company has been altering the DNA of mosquitoes with the goal of killing off a more dangerous breed capable of spreading deadly diseases. And now they’re preparing to release their “friendly mosquitoes” into the wild. In California. Aedes aegypti is an ...
	Podcast: How do you solve a problem like malaria? A. Jha, The Economist, 2022. SQUASHING MALARIA could, over the next three decades, save as many lives as covid-19 has taken. We explore new ways to fight infections: from the introduction of the first malaria vaccines, to genetically modified mosquitoes

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Perspectives

This is a curated collection of scholarly and non-scholarly materials that can be found in the Scholarly Literature and Media Coverage databases that are ‘opinion-heavy’. This collection is intended to capture the full range of thought and opinion about gene drive technologies.

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	Complicated expansion trajectories of insertion sequences and potential association with horizontal transfer of Wolbachia DNA Y. H. Miao, D. W. Huang and J. H. Xiao, Zoological Research, 44:273-275. 2023. Insertion sequences (ISs) are the simplest structural transposable elements (TEs) in prokaryotes, consisting only of a transposase coding sequence and its bilateral short terminal inverted repeats. Due to their gradually streamlined genomic construction, TEs rarely exist in the ...
	Gene Drives Could Fight Malaria and Other Global Killers but Might Have Unintended Consequences M. Cobb, Scientific American, 2023. Every year more than 600,000 people die from mosquito-transmitted malaria, most of them children under age five. Some insects that are disease vectors, such as mosquitoes, are currently expanding their range around the world, bringing new threats. Genetic engineering can fix this ...
	CRISPR Gene Drives: A Weapon of Mass Destruction? J. Ng, Medium, 2022. Gene drives allow scientists to “drive” new genes — and their associated traits — into wildlife populations at unprecedented rates. Here’s a simplified explanation of how gene drives work. In normal sexual reproduction between species with two copies of chromosomes, ...
	Genes drive organisms and slippery slopes D. B. Resnik, R. F. Medina, F. Gould, G. Church and J. Kuzma, Pathog Glob Health, 2022. The bioethical debate about using gene drives to alter or eradicate wild populations has focused mostly on issues concerning short-term risk assessment and management, governance and oversight, and public and community engagement, but has not examined big-picture- 'where is this ...

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Infographics

A curated collection of infographics related to gene drive technologies.

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	How We’re Reducing Disease With Genetically Modified Mosquitoes V. Wise, HealthMatch, 2022. We all know mosquitoes as those annoying insects we swat away from our faces. They carry diseases, so we don’t want them anywhere near us. There are over 200 types of wild mosquitoes bugging us across America and the U.S. territories. Approximately 12 types can spread disease, ...
	Using Gene Drive to Control Malaria The Scientist, The Scientist, 2016. This article provides illustrations for how gene drive works, how gene drives spread, and how gene drive could be used to control malaria using population-wide gene knockout, skewed sex ratio, and population-wide gene knock-in techniques. Visit the article to view all ...
	What is Gene Drive? Entomological Society of America, 2015. A fact sheet from the Entomological Society of America.

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Projects, Programs and Companies

in the genetic biocontrol space

African Genetic Biocontrol Consortium

The AGBC is committed to contributing and expanding research, development, and use of genetic biocontrol approaches to control and eliminate malaria and other vector-borne diseases in Africa.

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Gene Drive Governance

Gene Drive Governance is a network of world-leading researchers from Europe, Africa, North America and Australasia who are committed to understanding gene drive governance.

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Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research

The Outreach Network coordinates, shares information and engages with stakeholders to raise awareness of the value of gene drive research for the public good.

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BioBee

BioBee offers the most advanced environmentally friendly options for biological pest control including the Sterile Insect Technique

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UCI-Malaria Initiative

UCI-MI is a project developing gene drive technologies for Anopheles mosquitoes that will drive transgenes into wild populations of the insects to reduce their capacity to transmit malaria.

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Target Malaria

Target Malaria is a project aiming to reduce the population of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in sub-Saharan Africa using gene drive technologies and thereby reduce transmission of the disease

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GBIRd

GBIRd is investigating the feasibility and suitability of gene drive technologies to be used to reduce invasive rodent populations to protect island ecosystems and prevent island species extinctions

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BigSis

BigSis has reinvented the sterile insect technique (SIT) by automating the individualised production of sterile male insects. This requires integrating biology, engineering and artificial intelligence capabilities to deliver a highly automated production process.

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Joint FAO/IAEA Programme

FAO/IAEA-IPCS applies the Sterile Insect Technique where feasible to enhance food security and international trade and are pioneers in the development and use of SIT.

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FAO IAEA SIT Directory

A database of SIT and other currently active autocidal programs maintained by the IAEA. An excellent resource for exploring the use of SIT worldwide.

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World Mosquito Program

The WMP deploys Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti to modify wild populations by reducing their capacity to transmit dengue, zika and other positive strand RNA viruses.

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Synbal

Synbal uses our Active Genetics platform technology to provide super-Mendelian transgenic laboratory animal models expressing multiple human genes for research and development

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MosquitoMate, Inc

MosquitoMate is a company providing Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) solutions for Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus that are based on Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility.

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Debug by verily

Debug is program within Verily Life Sciences that is developing robotics for mass-rearing and sex separation of mosquitoes that integrate with Sterile Insect Technique and Incompatible Insect Technique programs.

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Wolbacki

Wolbaki provides Incompatable Insect Technique solutions for the mosquito Aedes albopictus and the brown planthopper Nilaparvada lugens based on Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility.

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Diptera.ai

Diptera.ai’s proprietary technology makes SIT affordable to everyone. Diptera.ai’s professionals release sterile Asian tiger male mosquitoes weekly during the warm season.

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Oxitec

Oxitec is a for-profit company developing and deploying transgenic insect autocidal control technologies for a variety of insect species around the world.

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BIOCENTIS

Biocentis develops eco-friendly genetic solutions to effectively and safely control the dangerous insect species that spread disease to humans, reduce biodiversity, or threaten food security.

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AGRAGENE

Agragene is commercializing biological crop pest control agents with a pioneering platform using CRISPR/Cas9 technology

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SENECIO Robotics

Senecio has unique multi platform solutions, utilizing deep learning for the Sex Classification together with robotics and automation for the Sorting and Packaging of mosquitoes for SIT.

Learn More

May 19-24,2024

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