These two briefing documents are good places to start any exploration of the topic of ‘gene drives’ and were created by organizations with strong interests in providing trustworthy information.

1. Gene drive research: Why it matters was produced by The Royal Society.  The Royal Society is the world’s oldest active scientific society and one of the world’s most respected.  “The Society’s fundamental purpose, reflected in its founding Charters of the 1660s, is to recognise, promote, and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity.” (quoted from the Society’s mission statement)

Gene drive research: Why it matters The Royal Society,  Royal Society Statement,  2018. Gene drives are systems that bias the inheritance of a particular DNA sequence. Many such systems occur naturally and scientists are now investigating the potential to develop new ones using synthetic biology techniques. Synthetic gene drives are being developed for a range of ...

2.   Gene Drives was produced by SciLine.  SciLine is an independent and free service hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society.   SciLine aims to provide trustworthy information to journalists and other communicators producing print, broadcast, or digital stories about science-related issues.  It is also an excellent source of information for the public. ”   SciLine fact sheets are evidence-based, factual summaries of newsworthy scientific issues, designed to be quickly and easily scanned by journalists and others. Each has been reviewed by multiple outside experts, so selected points of information can be included in news stories with confidence. SciLine fact sheets do not aim to support or oppose specific policy positions or proposals.” (quoted from SciLine.org)

Gene Drives D. M. Berube,  Pandemics and Resilience,  2023. A “gene drive” is a version of gene editing—a newer, more precise way to change a DNA (or RNA) sequence; in this case, combining a guide RNA with an enzyme that can make a gene drive takes this to another level, making sure that a new or altered genetic sequence has a ...