Multimedia
Most advanced gene drive projects
33625Gene Drive Monitor, 2024-11-12 17:33:29.
This infographic shows the species in which a gene drive has actually been built and is at least partially functional, up to 1 March 2024. Note that gene drives have been proposed in many more species, as shown our taxonomic list of targets here. Along with gene drives it includes sex ratio distorters, a similar genetic technology that also aims to suppress or eliminate populations.
TWiV 1161: Baby you can drive my gene
33394MicrobeTV, YouTube, 2024-11-04 17:40:40.
TWiV reviews continuing expansion of poliovirus type 2, removal of influenza B/Yamagata from the vaccine, Nobel Prize for miRNAs, protective immune response with a adenovirus-associated virus vector expressing a computationally designed hemagglutinin, and viral gene drive during herpes simplex 1 infection in mice.
GeneConvene Global Collaborative | Considerations for the First Field Trials of Gene Drive for Malaria
33388GeneConvene Global Collaborative, YouTube, 2024-11-04 17:19:36.
A webinar organized by the GeneConvene Global Collaborative discussed the potential first field trials of gene drive technology for malaria control. This genetic modification approach aims to alter mosquito populations to reduce their ability to transmit malaria. While laboratory results are promising, no field trials have been conducted yet. Experts convened to explore key considerations for trial design, including efficacy, safety, and stakeholder perceptions. The challenges of indefinite spread associated with low-threshold gene drives complicate trial logistics, necessitating a phased testing approach recommended by the WHO. Key factors for site selection include regulatory structures, existing health data, and the need for isolated mosquito populations. The session aimed to share insights and foster discussion on the future of gene drive applications in malaria control.
Why are gene drive technologies being considered to help restore biodiversity on islands?
32530Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research, 2024-10-15 11:55:45.
Researchers have been studying how to harness gene drives to solve some of society’s most intractable problems for a long time. Public health and ecosystem conservation are two of the main areas where research has focused, although other uses are also possible.
Mosquito population structure and gene-drive
30499Heredity Podcast, 2024-06-04 20:59:37.
Gene-drives hold great potential for the control of biological pests, but first they need to be thoroughly tested under appropriate conditions. In this episode we discuss some new work assessing whether mosquito populations in Northern Australia could be used to test a gene-drive targeting malaria mosquitoes.
Communicating Creatively About Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
28748Lorraine Gibson, Target Malaria, 2023-12-21 15:27:14.
In 2018, the Target Malaria team at Imperial College London published a landmark paper in Nature Biotechnology. The study demonstrated how gene drive mosquitoes successfully suppressed a population of wild-type malaria mosquitoes, marking a significant milestone for gene drive technology as a tool for malaria elimination. In our communications team working across Burkina Faso, Ghana, Uganda and the UK, we are exploring different, creative ways to explain the technology and its progress to the general public. By continually expanding our toolkit of science communications tools and embracing innovative approaches, we hope to bridge the gap between scientific advancements and the general public, in particular communities most affected by malaria, fostering understanding and support for our mission to combat malaria.
ISAAA Inc. | Genetic Tools For Conservation and Health: What’s The Role of Gene Drives?
28634Kristine Grace N. Tome, Science Speaks, 2023-12-04 11:20:10.
ISAAA Inc., in partnership with the Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research and the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC), gathered approximately 834 online participants during the webinar Genetic Tools for Conservation and Health: What's the Role of Gene Drives? held on November 16, 2023, via Zoom and livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube. The online session is the first of the 2023 Gene Drive Webinar Series that focuses on the interests of specific countries and aims to promote a productive and balanced conversation on the benefits and risks of possible gene drive applications relevant to national priorities. The Philippines has been picked as the first country to be engaged in the webinar series. The Philippines has been at the forefront of biotechnology research and regulation in Asia for a long time and plays an important role in shaping the region’s views on novel technologies and developing expertise.
Framing Challenges and Opportunities for Canada: Expert Panel on Regulating Gene-Edited Organisms for Pest Control
28486CCA (Council of Canadian Academies), Framing Challenges and Opportunities for Canada, 2023-11-21 11:21:00.
Gene-editing technologies are changing approaches to pest management. Rapidly evolving but unproven gene-editing tools could potentially mitigate the impacts of pests in public health, conservation, and agricultural contexts. The use of these tools, however, is accompanied by uncertainties about possible impacts on species and ecosystems, along with broader socioeconomic and cultural risks. Increased globalization and climate change are intensifying pest problems. These factors, combined with the waning effectiveness of many common pest-control tools, will contribute to growing pressure from both native and invasive pests if left unchecked. Opportunities to manage pests with greater effectiveness, lower costs, and increased safety therefore require consideration.
Worldwide Experts on Gene Drives
Save Our Seeds, 2023-06-28 08:54:11.We are travelling the world speaking to some of the world's leading thinkers, activists and academics on the impact of gene drives. Join us for this video series as we hear from a diverse range of experts on one of the most controversial new emerging technologies that we face.
Introducing Emerging Health Technologies in Africa
24724Health Tech Africa, Health Tech Africa Podcast, 2023-02-08 14:22:59.
In this episode, the Project Director of the Platform for Dialogue and Action on Health Technologies in Africa, Professor Richard Mukabana, discusses new technologies that if well developed and proven safe and effective, have enormous potential to eradicate disease on the continent.
SHOULD WE CREATE GENE DRIVE GREY SQUIRRELS
23962S. Hartley and T. Law, GeneDriveGovernance.org, 2022-11-09 11:48:04.
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 foster this debate, we made a short research film on gene drive grey squirrels. The film draws on our social science research to show the complexity of the problem of grey squirrel control and invites you to think about whether scientists should develop gene drive squirrels or not.
WORLDWIDE: EXPERTS ON GENE DRIVES
23840Stop Gene Drive, STOP GENE DRIVES, 2022-11-07 09:51:54.
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
How We’re Reducing Disease With Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
23667V. Wise, HealthMatch, 2022-09-29 08:07:21.
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, but most are “nuisance” mosquitoes, which don’t spread germs. Obviously, it’s hard to identify a tiny flying creature, so we need to keep them all away from us just in case. Aedes aegypti¹ is one of the most common mosquitoes in the U.S. that can spread disease. One of the best-known mosquito-borne diseases is malaria, but Aedes aegypti is associated with 54 viruses². West Nile virus, Zika, and dengue are just three diseases these mosquitoes transmit around the U.S With 1 in 150 people becoming seriously ill due to West Nile virus, sometimes fatally, what can we do to prevent mosquito bites?
Genetically-Modified Mosquitos Could Soon Be Released in California
21693A. Madrigal, KQED, 2022-04-12 08:31:27.
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 mosquitos to only produce viable male offspring, leading to population declines as females die off. While it may sound like the plot of a horror movie, the company says the new process is safe and necessary to address the growing global threat of mosquito-borne diseases. But some scientists and other critics say it could create even more virulent mosquitos, among other health and environmental risks. We’ll discuss the plan, which still requires state approval.
Will genetic modification of mosquitoes take a bite out of insects’ population?
21708N. Patel, KCRW, 2022-04-11 08:58:40.
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 company called Oxitec is now trying to eradicate them through genetic modification. Oxitec will release millions of modified mosquitoes that can only produce female offspring that will die. Without an ability to reproduce, the mosquito population will collapse. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted the company a permit to release their modified mosquitoes in San Bernardino, Fresno, Stanislaus, and Tulare Counties.
An army of genetically engineered mosquitoes is about to be released
21705M. Menard, KNX NEWS, 2022-04-11 08:53:53.
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 invasive breed of mosquito that has been rapidly spreading throughout the state since their first detection about 10 years ago. It is a known carrier of such diseases as yellow fever, chikungunya and dengue.
Podcast: How do you solve a problem like malaria?
21655A. Jha, The Economist, 2022-04-05 15:01:14.
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
The power of gene editing
20973The Economist, The Economist, 2022-03-17 07:27:42.
Technologies such as genetic modification and ‘CRISPR’ will cure hereditary diseases, produce disease-resistant crops and enable the breeding of malaria-free mosquitos. But advances bring ethical and practical dilemmas. Genetically modified food is banned in the EU, and doctors worry that screening for genetic diseases may pave the way for more controversial uses, such as creating so-called designer babies. This film looks at the risks and rewards of gene editing.
Podcast: Malaria Gene Drive
19474S. Hartley, S. Neema and C. Opesen, University of Exeter Business School, 2021-11-25 15:15:30.
Professor Sarah Hartley and her two colleagues in Uganda, Stella Neema and Chris Opesen discuss gene drive research for malaria control. Funded by British Academy and Wellcome trust, their work is to understand the social science challenges around the development of this kind of technology and to consider how governance and ethics should be managed when dealing with a scientific breakthrough such as this.
How An Altered Strand Of DNA Can Cause Malaria-Spreading Mosquitoes To Self-Destruct
17862R. Stein, NPR, 2021-07-28 15:19:15.
For the first time, scientists have shown that a new kind of genetic engineering can crash populations of malaria-spreading mosquitoes. In the landmark study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers placed the genetically modified mosquitoes in a special laboratory that simulated the conditions in sub-Saharan Africa, where they spread the deadly disease. The male mosquitoes were engineered with a sequence of DNA known as a "gene drive" that can rapidly transmit a deleterious mutation that essentially wipes out populations of the insects. The goal is to create a powerful new tool to fight malaria, which remains one of the world's most terrible scourges. "Our study is the first [that] could show that gene-drive technology works under ecologically challenging conditions," says Ruth Muller, an entomologist who led the research at PoloGGB, a high-security lab in Terni, Italy. "This is the big breakthrough that we made with our study."
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Foundation for the
National Institutes of Health
geneconvenevi@fnih.org