The GeneConvene Virtual Institute aggregates, curates and shares knowledge to advance understanding of gene drive technologies and selfish genetic elements.
The GeneConvene Virtual Institute is an initiative of the GeneConvene Global Collaborative, a program within the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health that advances best practices for genetic biocontrol technologies such as those using gene drive.
Gene drive and other genetic biocontrol technologies are emerging technologies with implications for public health, conservation and agriculture. Conversations and discussions about these technologies will benefit from well-informed stakeholders and other interested parties.
Decisions by stakeholders regarding the research, development and possible use of gene drive and other biocontrol technologies will benefit from stakeholders having sources of knowledge of the scientific, social, safety and economic dimensions of these technologies.
Knowledge of gene drive and other genetic biocontrol technologies is growing rapidly but is fragmented and dispersed throughout the internet. The aim of the Virtual Institute is to bring knowledge of gene drive and other genetic biocontrol technologies together in one virtual location to make it readily accessible to those with interests in these technologies.
GeneConvene Virtual Institute eNewsletter
Of Special Interest
The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health-GeneConvene Global Collaborative and The Genetic Biocontrol of Invasive Rodents (GBIRd) Partnership cordially invite you to participate in Considering the Case of Gene Drive Technologies Through Social Science Theories on Stakeholder Engagement. Through The Gene Drive Research Forum, The Genetic Biocontrol of Invasive Rodents (GBIRd) Partnership and The FNIH GeneConvene Global Collaborative are co-hosting a series of virtual panel discussions to provide a forum for social scientists, researchers and developers, funders, and other stakeholders engaged in or contemplating work in the gene drive technologies space to explore the case of gene drive technologies through social science theories on stakeholder engagement. A different panel will meet for 1.5 hours on the second Tuesday of each month for five months starting in February 2021 at 10 am US east coast time to discuss a specific topic and entertain questions from participants.
Panel discussions will be held virtually on February 9, March 9, April 13, May 11 and June 8, 2021.
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.
Featured Content
Selection of Sites for Field Trials of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes with Gene Drive
G. C. Lanzaro, M. Campos, M. Crepeau, A. Cornel, A. Estrada, H. Gripkey, Z. Haddad, A. Kormos, S. Palomares and W. Sharpee, bioRxiv, 2021.04.28.441877. 2021.
Novel malaria control strategies using genetically engineered mosquitoes (GEMs) are on the horizon. Population modification is one approach wherein mosquitoes are engineered with genes rendering them refractory to the malaria parasite coupled with a low-threshold, Cas9-based gene drive. When released into a wild vector population, GEMs preferentially transmit these beneficial genes to their offspring, ultimately modifying a vector population into a non-vector one. Deploying this technology awaits evaluation including ecologically contained field trials. Here, we consider a process for site selection, the first critical step in designing a trial. Our goal is to identify a site that maximizes prospects for success, minimizes risk, and serves as a fair, valid, and convincing test of efficacy and impacts of a GEM product intended for large-scale deployment in Africa. We base site selection on geographical, geological, and biological, rather than social or legal, criteria. We recognize the latter as critically important but not preeminent. We propose physical islands as being the best candidates for a GEM field trial and present an evaluation of 22 African islands. We consider geographic and genetic isolation, biological complexity, island size, topography, and identify two island groups that satisfy key criteria for ideal GEM field trial sites.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.
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Anopheles gambiae Genome Conservation as a Resource for Rational Gene Drive Target Site Selection
