Public deliberation and the regulation of gene drive in the USA
Public deliberation and the regulation of gene drive in the USA
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Stakeholder engagementW. F. West, L. W. Buchman and R. F. Medina, Science and Public Policy, scac032. 2022.
Gene drive is a new form of biotechnology designed to bias the inheritance of selected traits in animal or plant species that reproduce sexually and have relatively short reproductive cycles. Unlike traditional breeding techniques and other forms of biotechnology, gene drive is designed to spread in wild populations. As such, the prospect of its application raises ecological and socioeconomic concerns that the current system of biotechnology regulation in the USA is ill-equipped to address. Foremost among the proposals for reform is the need for deliberative participation in decision-making by stakeholders representing a broader range of interests and analytical perspectives. As appealing as they are in the abstract, these recommendations overlook both practical and political challenges to democratic governance in administration that have received little attention.

US Coordinated Framework for regulating GM animals.
Image from: Regulatory issues for genetically modified animals (2020) doi 10.15302/J-FASE-2019307