Gene Drive in the News

A curated collection of articles from the popular press

What’s the story with genetic pest management (GPM)?

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K. Guthrie,  Predator Free NZ,  2017-07-13 15:30:50.
Breakthrough genetic technologies are likely to play a key role in achieving a predator-free future. But it’s important that we understand what the various technologies are now – as they’re being developed – not when they’re about to be implemented. We need to debate the issues and become as informed as possible; to know if there are risks involved in particular techniques and what safeguards will be in place. We need to be able to make informed choices, once such choices become possible. Not all genetic techniques, for example, involve ‘genetic engineering’.

How Genetically Modified Mice Could One Day Save Island Birds

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Borel, B,  Audubon,  2017-06-07 00:00:00.
The silent black-and-white footage opens on a seemingly tranquil setting: a burrow where an Atlantic Petrel tends to its chick. Then mice begin scurrying in and out of frame. The dark blurs jostle the adult, darting up to the exposed chick and tearing off bloody bites. They’re eating it alive.; ; The horrific scene is captured by nest cams on Gough (rhymes with “off”), a rugged volcanic island about 1,700 miles west of South Africa. It has one of the world’s largest seabird nesting colonies, with millions of birds representing 22 species. It’s also home to hundreds of thousands of mice, descendants of stowaways on 19th-century seal-hunting ships. The tiny predators devour some 900,000 chicks a year and threaten to decimate the island’s Atlantic Petrels and Tristan Albatrosses, which breed here almost exclusively. In a rodent-free landscape, more than two-thirds of the albatross chicks should make it to adulthood; on Gough, mice cut survival to as low as 10 percent.

Illustrated experiment: modifying mosquitoes to save millions of lives

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Volpicelli, G,  Wired,  2017-03-26 00:00:00.
Malaria, a disease transmitted by a type of mosquito called Anopheles, kills 500,000 people every year, most of them in Africa. But Andrea Crisanti, professor of molecular parasitology at London's Imperial College, has a plan to eradicate it in many countries.

A Revolutionary Genetic Experiment is Planned for a West African Village – If Residents Agree

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Ike Swetitz,  STAT,  2017-03-14 18:05:29.
This small village of mud-brick homes in West Africa might seem the least likely place for an experiment at the frontier of biology. Yet scientists here are engaged in what could be the most promising, and perhaps one of the most frightening, biological experiments of our time. They are preparing for the possible release of swarms of mosquitoes that, until now, have been locked away in a research lab behind double metal doors and guarded 24/7. The goal: to nearly eradicate the population of one species of mosquito, and with it, the heavy burden of malaria across Africa.

Gene Drives: A scientific case for a complete and perpetual ban

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Latham, J,  GeneWatch,  2017-02-06 00:00:00.
One of the central issues of our day is how to safely manage the outputs of industrial innovation. Novel products incorporating nanotechnology, biotechnology, rare metals, microwaves, novel chemicals, and more, enter the market on a daily basis. Yet none of these products come with an adequate data set of scientific information. Nor do they come with a clear intellectual framework within which their risks can be placed, as disputes over the precautionary principle show. The majority of products receive no regulatory supervision at all. How will the product be disposed of? What populations and which ecosystems will be exposed in the course of its advertised uses? What will be the consequences of accidental, off-label or illegal uses? Typically, none of these kinds of questions are adequately asked by government regulatory agencies unless citizens actively prod them to do so.; ; In consequence of these defects, we expose our world to unique hazards with every product launch. In comparison with its tremendous importance, this is surely one of the least discussed issues of our day.

Sterile Insect Techniques, GE mosquitoes and gene drives

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Hanson, J,  GeneWatch,  2017-02-06 00:00:00.
One of the great temptations in any field is to promote your solution to a problem as the only solution. The recent application of gene drives to sterilize mosquitoes that transmit malaria or viruses like dengue and zika is an example of this tendency to first develop a technology and then look for applications that might justify its use.; ; For at least 70 years, scientists have been trying to sterilize insects to prevent them from spreading disease, especially mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, dengue and zika, an approach known as "sterile insect technique." Sterilizing some insects with irradiation has been successful in preventing their reproduction.[1] In the 1950s, it was used to rid the southeastern U.S. of the New World screwworm Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), a deadly parasite of livestock. During the next 43 years the technique was used to eradicate this screwworm from the U.S., Mexico, and Central America. Currently, the largest use of Sterile Insect Technique in the U.S. is for the control of Mediterranean fruit fly. Irradiated bollworms are also being released to control cotton boll weevils, and irradiated coddling moths are being released to help protect apples and pears.[2] Interestingly, Rachel Carson, in Silent Spring, warned that using the Sterile Insect Technique to control a population of insects that could rebuild from neighboring islands or other populations was especially challenging. Talking about a SIT effort to control houseflies in the Florida Keys, she wrote:; ; "In a test on an island in the Florida Keys in 1961, a population of flies was nearly wiped out within a period of only five weeks. Repopulation of course followed from nearby islands, but as a pilot project the test was successful....; ; One of the problems of sterilization by radiation is that this requires not only artificial rearing but the release of sterile males in larger number than are present in the wild population. This could be done with the screw-worm, which is actually not an abundant insect. With the housefly, however, more than doubling the population through releases could be highly objectionable [to the local people]."[3]

Driving out malaria

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Nolan, TC, A.,  Scientist,  2017-01-01 00:00:00.
In recent years, researchers have sequenced the genomes of several Anopheles mosquito species, including those responsible for nearly all of the malaria transmission in Africa. With this information, they have begun to identify the genes underlying the insects’ ability to colonize human habitats, their reproductive biology, and their susceptibility to infection by the malaria parasite (Plasmodium spp.). If we know the genes, or variants of genes, that are responsible for key mosquito traits, such as parasite clearance or egg laying, we can theoretically introduce a genetic modification into the insects that reduces malaria transmission.

Gene drive and collective oversight

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Esvelt, K,  GeneWatch,  2017-01-01 00:00:00.
As one of the scientists who first described how CRISPR could create gene drive systems capable of altering wild; populations, I am morally responsible for the consequences. I'm writing to you in the hope that the people most; critical of the very idea can help. Bluntly, gene drive is an example of how the current scientific enterprise causes; our technological power to grow faster than our ability to ensure it is developed wisely. But because it affects the; shared environment, gene drive may also be the key to improving the system - namely, by causing it to favor; collective oversight. And to do that, we need your help.

The Case for a Global Moratorium on Genetically-engineered Gene Drives

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Civil Society Working Group on Gene Drives,  SynBioWatch,  2016-12-05 00:00:00.
In view of the significant ecological, cultural and societal threats posed by genetically-engineered gene drives, including threats to biodiversity, national sovereignty, peace and food security, we the undersigned call upon governments at the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, in accordance with the precautionary principle, to put in place a moratorium on 1) any further technical development and experimental application of gene drives, and 2) environmental release of genetically-engineered gene drives.

Gene drives: The good, the bad, and the hype

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Ouagrham-Gormley, SBV, Kathleen M.,  The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,  2016-10-14 00:00:00.
Since the early 2000s, many advances in the life sciences, such as the artificial synthesis of the poliovirus and the gain-of-function experiments that enhanced the transmissibility of the H5N1 flu virus, have led to warnings that bioweapons development would soon be getting easier, cheaper, and faster for states and non-state actors alike. The new gene-editing technique known as Crispr has raised similar concerns because it allows researchers to edit genomes precisely, quickly, and cheaply. It has also facilitated the development of “gene drives,” which in theory allow scientists to permanently introduce a genetic alteration into an entire animal or plant population. Gene drives are being investigated as tools to eradicate infectious diseases or control pests that cause agricultural, economic, and environmental damages; yet they have also raised concerns. The absence of clear safety guidelines, coupled with ambiguous government regulations, has nurtured fears of an accidental or voluntary release of a gene drive in nature that could cause irreparable damage. On the security front, the presumed simplicity and accessibility of Crispr raise the possibility that states, terrorists, or rogue scientists might use the technology to modify genomes to develop malicious gene drives and create novel bioweapons that could spread more quickly, cheaply, and globally than traditional bioweapons agents.

Extinctions to order: Gene-ocide.

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The Economist,  The Economist,  2016-09-17 00:00:00.
IN A competition to find the world’s least-loved animal, the mosquito would be hard to beat. Only a few species of the insect carry the parasites that cause human diseases such as West Nile virus, dengue and yellow fever, but the harm they cause is enormous. Malaria kills more than 400,000 people, mostly children, every year. Zika has spread to dozens of countries (see article). If species such as Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti could be eradicated, the world would surely be a better place.; ; Genetic engineers have already taken some steps in that direction: male A. aegypti mosquitoes that have been modified to become sterile have been released in Brazil, for example. Such approaches, controversial though they are among some greens, are limited in their impact and geographical range. A nascent technique called a “gene drive”, which could make it far easier to wipe out species, raises harder questions.

Biodiversity, GMOs, Gene Drives and the Militarised Mind

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Shiva, V,  Inter Press Service,  2016-07-18 00:00:00.
A recent report from the National Academy of Science of The United States, titled Gene Drives on the Horizon : Advancing Science, Navigating Uncertainty, and Aligning Research with Public Values”, warns:; “One possible goal of release of a gene-drive modified organism is to cause the extinction of the target species or a drastic reduction in its abundance.”; Gene Drives have been called “mutagenic chain reactions”, and are to the biological world what chain reactions are to the nuclear world. The Guardian describes Gene Drives as the “gene bomb”.

Re-Coding for Conservation

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Hawkes, A,  Bay Nature Magazine,  2016-06-27 00:00:00.
very year, as summer turns to fall, the mouse population on the South Farallon Islands explodes to plague-like densities, numbering 490 mice per acre, among the highest found on any island in the world. The scientists who live and work there describe the assault of the invasive house mouse as a kind of purgatory in the otherwise stunning, windswept smattering of rocky islets and sea stacks 30 miles outside the Golden Gate. “At night they would be everywhere,” says Peter Pyle, a wildlife biologist who spent more than 20 fall seasons living at the research station on Southeast Farallon Island. “I had them crawling on top of me at night and in my hair. I tried to mouse-proof the house but we’d catch 50 mice in the night.”

Gene drive organisms not ready for environmental release

Widener, A,  Chemical & Engineering News,  2016-06-13 00:00:00.
Gene drive technologies have the potential to make important contributions to public health and the environment, but organisms created using them should not be released into the environment at this time, according to a report from the National Academy of Sciences. Gene drives use CRISPR/Cas9 and other gene-editing techniques along with directed evolution to introduce and spread desired genes within a certain species. The NAS report recommends extensive laboratory testing and controlled field trials before the technology is used outside of the laboratory. “Before gene-drive-modified organisms are put into the environment, our committee urges caution—a lot more research is needed to understand the scientific, ethical, regulatory, and social consequences of releasing such organisms,” says panel cochair James P. Collins of Arizona State University. The report details an environmental assessment and testing plan that it recommends be followed before modified organisms are released. No risk assessments have so far been performed on a gene-drive-modified organism. The report also points out that current environmental regulations are inadequate to address this new technology and the public should be involved in any examination of potential harms.

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Probably Headed to Florida Keys to Fight Zika

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T. Elfrink,  Miami New Times,  2016-04-11 05:12:57.
The bad news: Zika is coming to Florida. This past Friday, two new cases of the virus linked to serious birth defects were reported in the state, and scientists believe it could spread rapidly come summer as mosquito populations explode. And we're still a long way away from a vaccine for the virus. The good news: Scientists still might have a way to stop its spread — by releasing a swarm of genetically modified mosquitoes across the Florida Keys. Yes, it sounds like the premise of pulpy Michael Crichton novel that ends with a zombie horde infected with GMO mosquito viruses. But it's looking ever more likely to happen. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given tentative approval to the plan, and the New York Times published a lengthy op-ed this weekend arguing in favor of the plan. And several new polls show that most of the public supports giving it a sho

When Extinction Is a Humanitarian Cause

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Adelman, Z,  MIT Technology Review,  2016-02-12 00:00:00.
Humans have driven species to extinction through our hunger, our ignorance, our desire for economic growth, and our indifference. Will one species of mosquito be the first we eliminate for humanitarian ; The mosquito is Aedes aegypti. It is commonly known as the yellow fever mosquito and, in more recent years, has become known as the dengue mosquito for spreading a hemorrhagic disease that disproportionately affects small children and has high public health costs. Now it's the Zika mosquito, suspected of transmitting Zika virus with a potential association to microcephaly in newborns.

Playing God with mosquitoes? We humans have loftier aims.

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Pugh, J,  The Conversation,  2015-12-02 00:00:00.
In a startling development in “gene-drive” technology, a team of researchers at the University of California has succeeded in creating genetically modified mosquitoes incapable of spreading the malaria parasite to humans, and which could potentially spread this trait rapidly throughout mosquito populations in the wild.; ; This success has the potential to be translated into a huge global health benefit. Although global malarial deaths have been in decline over the past decade or so, the WHO estimates that malaria has been responsible for over 400,000 deaths this year alone.

Genetic Engineering to the Rescue Against Invasive

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K. Langin,  National Geographic,  2014-07-18 15:37:46.
Genes for swatting tiger mosquitoes, defanging brown tree snakes, and deporting Asian carp, all nasty invasive species, sound like a swell idea. But the latest idea in eradication—genetic engineering—poses its own risks, warn biotechnology experts. Invasive species wreak havoc worldwide, disrupting native ecosystems and inflicting more than $120 billion in damages annually in the U.S. alone. Many economically—and environmentally—damaging species, such as those mosquitoes, snakes, and carp, defy removal with existing technology.

GM mosquitoes a ‘quantum leap’ towards tackling malaria

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A. Vaughan,  Guardian,  2014-06-10 15:54:00.
New technique injects mosquitoes with a gene that results in mostly male offspring, eventually leading to a population crash

Big Agriculture eyeing genetic tool for pest control

PTI Feed,  India,  2008-10-16 00:00:00.
A controversial and unproven gene-editing technology touted as a silver bullet against malaria-bearing mosquitos could wind up being deployed first in commercial agriculture, according to experts and an NGO report published Tuesday.; ; So-called “gene drives” force evolution’s hand, ensuring that an engineered trait is passed down to all or most offspring, and from one generation to the next.

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