Gene Drive Technology in the News
Global body to consider moratorium on release of organisms with engineered ‘gene drives’
4549Channel, D, Development Channel, 2018-11-19 00:00:00.
Governments from across the globe will consider imposing a temporary ban on the release of organisms carrying altered genes that can propagate through a population, as the consequence of deployment of the technology, which has the potential to eradicate disease, control pests and alter entire ecosystems is thought to be unpredictable.
Zambian citizens call on leaders to raise concerns on GMOs at upcoming meeting in Egypt
4546Biodiversity, ZAfAa, Lusakatimes, 2018-11-17 00:00:00.
Zambia supports the global call for a moratorium on Gene Drive releases, including applied research such as open field trials
Biodiversität durch neue Gentechnik in Gefahr
GLOBAL 2000, APA-OTS, 2018-11-16 00:00:00.on 17. bis 29. November findet die 14. Vertragsparteienkonferenz des UN-Übereinkommens über die biologische Vielfalt (CBD COP 14) in Sharm El Sheikh, Ägypten, statt. Neben den zahlreichen Artenschutz-Themen muss heuer der Neuen Gentechnik besondere Relevanz beigemessen werden. Unter dem Schlagwort “Synthetic Biology” werden auch Techniken wie CRISPR zusammengefasst. Dazu gab es am 25. Juli diesen Jahres zumindest für die EU seitens des EuGH eine klare Entscheidung. CRISPR und andere neue gentechnische Methoden (und deren Produkte) sind als Gentechnik zu klassifizieren. ”Diese klare Klassifizierung sollte nicht auf die EU beschränkt bleiben. Auf der UN-Konferenz sollten sich die Vertragspartner einigen, dass diese klare Regelung für alle Partnerländer gilt“, betont Heidemarie Porstner, Gentechniksprecherin der österreichischen Umweltschutzorganisation GLOBAL 2000. Der Schutz der Umwelt und der menschlichen Gesundheit stehen laut dem EuGH-Urteil im Vordergrund. Überdies hat das Vorsorgeprinzip zu gelten. Durch die Entscheidung gibt es eine klare Regulierung, Zulassungsverfahren, Risikobewertung und Kennzeichnung.
From geoengineering to gene drives: move over, moratoria
4592Woods, E, In Verba, 2018-11-16 00:00:00.
Around this time six years ago I was in Hyderabad in India getting to grips with moratoria. Back then conversations revolved around geoengineering – techniques to reduce global warming by intervening in the Earth’s climate system – and whether a ban on geoengineering research should be adopted by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD).
Il ricercatore comasco: “Così modifichiamo le zanzare per sconfiggere la malaria”
Pioppi, dP, Il Giorno, 2018-11-16 00:00:00.Un elemento genetico in grado di intervenire sul cromosoma della zanzara, privandola della possibilità di trasmettere la malaria, che costituisce la prima causa di mortalità al mondo. Rendendo così immuni intere popolazioni. La tecnologia che consente questo risultato, si chiama «Gene Drive», e da una decina di anni è il campo di ricerca su cui si è concentrato Valentino Gantz, 34 anni, biologo molecolare comasco – anzi, per la precisione «Assistant Research Scientist» - che dal 2008 fa parte dell’organico dell’Università di San Diego, in California. Prima con un dottorato durato sette anni, e poi come ricercatore nel laboratorio del professor Ethan Bier. Qui le ricerche erano partite dallo studio dell’evoluzione delle venature delle ali delle mosche, per poi sfociare, come spiega lo stesso ricercatore «nello studio di un elemento genetico che si potesse diffondere in un’intera popolazione della stessa specie».
From terminator to exterminator
4556etc group, etc group, 2018-11-15 00:00:00.
20 years after suicide seeds, civil society mobilizes in Egypt this week to stop the sequel – Gene Drive Organisms
Let’s say we can force the mosquito into extinction — should we do it?
4579Porterfield, A, Genetic Literacy Project, 2018-11-15 00:00:00.
Not many people like mosquitoes. So why not eliminate them?; Newer techniques like CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing may make this possible. A new study by researchers at Imperial College London showed how CRISPR/Cas9 can generate a mutant gene that renders female mosquitos infertile, while males can spread the same mutation to offspring. Using a genetic tweak called gene drive, the scientists found they could extend the mutation in subsequent offspring at high enough rates to offset the effects of normal versions of the gene. This essentially wiped out the test population of Anopheles gambiae, a species of mosquito responsible for spreading malaria.
Proposed U.N. test ban on gene drives is idiotic
4543Bailey, R, Reason, 2018-11-15 00:00:00.
A draft resolution would revise the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity to call on governments to "refrain from" releasing organisms containing engineered gene drives, according to the MIT Technology Review. A gene drive is a technology that can rapidly propagate a particular set of genes throughout a population, including genes that cause sterility in a species.
Research on gene drive technology can benefit conservation and public health.
4576Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research, Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research, 2018-11-14 00:00:00.
As a global community, we are facing life-threatening challenges that undermine our future, from catastrophic loss of biodiversity to acute public health threats.
Call for a global moratorium on gene drive releases
Network, TW, Biosafety Information Centre, 2018-11-13 00:00:00.Gene drives are a genetic engineering tool that aim to force artificial genetic changes through entire populations of animals, insects and plants. Starting on the 17th of November, Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity will meet to discuss measures to control this technology, including a possible moratorium on environmental releases. (Item 1)
Malaria auf die drastische Art bekampfen
Kusma, S, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 2018-11-13 00:00:00.Gene-Drives sind gentechnische Veränderungen, die sich rasend schnell in Populationen ausbreiten und ganze Arten zum Aussterben bringen könnten. Zur Bekämpfung von Krankheiten birgt das grosses Potenzial. Aber man sollte wissen, was man tut.
Scientists divided over new research method to combat malaria
Sample, I, The Guardian, 2018-11-13 00:00:00.Work on engineered gene used to modify DNA of mosquitoes ‘could be stifled’ by perceived risk to environment
United Nations considers a test ban on evolution-warping gene drives
Regalado, A, MIT Technology Review, 2018-11-13 00:00:00.Debate over a new idea for stopping malaria is pitting some environmental groups against Bill Gates.
Un organismo genéticamente modificado podría terminar con la malaria y salvar millones de vidas
Parra, S, Xataka Ciencia, 2018-11-12 00:00:00.Un grupo de investigadores han introducido una mutación de esterilización que ha logrado eliminar las poblaciones de mosquitos de laboratorio en siete a once generaciones. Básicamente, todo depdende del CRISPR, una herramienta desarrollada en la última década que ha facilitado enormemente la edición precisa de los genes de todo, desde virus y bacterias hasta mosquitos y humanos.
Do not betray Africa on synbio and gene drives
4557etc group, etc group, 2018-11-11 00:00:00.
As representatives of a broad range of African civil society organisations (CSOs), we do not feel represented by the delegations of Nigeria and South Africa, speaking on behalf of African Group, in their attempt to speak on behalf of the people of Africa on the issue of synthetic biology (synbio) and gene drive organisms (GDOs).
GM Mozzies could bite off more than we can shoo
Jordan, B, Times Select, 2018-11-09 00:00:00.The world’s deadliest insect, the mosquito, may have finally met its match – a genetically-modified version of itself. But will the GM variety be friend or foe? And is it safe to release a GM insect into the wild without knowing how far it will spread, or what the long-term effects will be? An SA environmental watchdog group this week slammed the planned rollout of GM mosquitoes as premature and potentially dangerous. The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) says there are insufficient environmental risk assessments to justify releasing GM mosquitoes into the wild
Release of risky GM mosquitoes in Burkina faso highly unethical.
GM Watch, GM Watch, 2018-11-09 00:00:00.Risky genetically modified (GM) “male-sterile” mosquitoes are due to be released in the near future in Burkina Faso by the Target Malaria research consortium. However, Target Malaria acknowledges that there are no benefits to the proposed GM mosquito release.; ; According to Mariam Mayet, executive director of the African Centre for Biodiversity, “There is absolutely no justification for releasing these GM mosquitoes. It is highly unethical and totally unacceptable to conduct experiments which carry risks, yet do not bring any benefit for malaria control in Burkina Faso."
Gene drives promise great gains and great dangers
4552The Economist, The Economist, 2018-11-08 00:00:00.
Extinctions are seldom cause for celebration. Humans are wiping out species at a frightening rate, whether hunting them into history or, far more threateningly, damaging the habitats on which they depend. But occasionally, the destruction is warranted. Smallpox was officially eradicated in 1980, and no one laments the fate of the virus that caused it; campaigns to save the virus that causes polio are thin on the ground. How, then, to think about a new technology that will make driving a species to extinction far easier?
The promise and peril of gene drives
The Economist, The Economist, 2018-11-08 00:00:00.I think i got it,” says Alekos Simoni with a grin, returning an electronic fly zapper called “The Executioner” to a nearby metal shelf. With a deft flick of his wrist he has done away with a genetically modified mosquito that was making a bid for freedom. There are many levels of containment to ensure such creatures do not leave this basement laboratory at Imperial College, London. But none, perhaps, quite so satisfying as The Executioner.; ; The extermination that the creatures in Mr Simoni’s lab are designed to take part in is less viscerally gratifying—but far more consequential. The mosquitoes are being fitted with a piece of dna called a gene drive. Unlike the genes introduced into run-of-the-mill genetically modified organisms, gene drives do not just sit still once inserted into a chromosome. They actively spread themselves, thereby reaching more and more of the population with each generation. If their effect is damaging, they could in principle wipe out whole species.
South Africa investigates sterilising mosquitoes in anti-malaria drive
Muhenga, G, The Conversation, 2018-11-07 00:00:00.South Africa is one of four southern African countries aiming to eliminate malaria transmission by 2023. Indoor residual spraying using DDT and pyrethroid insecticides constitutes the backbone of South Africa’s malaria control programmes.; ; Effective vector control by indoor residual spraying has been key in the reduction of malaria cases. This was instrumental in creating malaria-free zones in most parts of the country. Malaria transmission is now limited to the north-eastern parts of Limpopo province, the low-veld areas of Mpumalanga province and the far northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal province.
African Union’s endorsement of unproven gene drive mosquitoes “misguided”
GM Watch, GMWatch, 2018-11-05 00:00:00.The African Union (AU) is paving the way for the entry of the latest and most controversial form of genetic engineering – gene drive technologies. In July 2018 the AU released a report endorsing the development of the technology as well as "enabling legislation" for their deployment across its member states. The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), has released a critique of the AU report, which the ACB says is hopelessly premature and merely repeats unsubstantiated claims made by gene drive developers.
Scientists near malaria elimination
Muanya, C, The Guardian, 2018-11-01 00:00:00.Scientists are getting closer in efforts to eliminate malaria with new genetic engineering tool. Scientists have devised a gene drive that wiped out the mosquito’s populations in lab tests. They say gene editing may push a species of malaria-carrying mosquito to extinction.
Sterile insect technique field trials to eliminate malaria under way
25913Anonymous, SA Department of Science and Innovation, 2018-10-29 13:06:00.
The first South African research trial for the biological control of mosquitoes using the sterile insect technique started in Jozini in KwaZulu-Natal earlier this month, with funding from the Department of Science and Technology. South Africa is making significant progress in reducing the incidence of malaria, and is now at a level where the country in a prime position to begin with complementary vector control strategies that address the problem of insecticide resistance. However, indoor residual spraying (IRS) using DDT and pyrethroid insecticides, while effective in controlling the disease, is unlikely to eliminate malaria on its own. IRS targets mainly indoor feeding and resting mosquitoes, and is not effective against vectors that feed and rest outdoors such as Anopheles arabiensis, which is a major contributor to outdoor transmission in South Africa's malaria-affected provinces. One of the supplementary methods being explored is the use of the sterile insect technique (SIT). This works like birth control to suppress mosquito populations and reduce the spread of malaria. The technique involves the mass-rearing and sterilisation of male mosquitoes before they are released in the wild.
EU Adopts Negotiating Position for 2018 Biodiversity Conference
4591Tsioumani, E, International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2018-10-25 00:00:00.
The Council of the EU calls for increased efforts to fully achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and for the adoption of an ambitious follow-up to the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, to strengthen implementation of the CBD and its Protocols, as well as of other biodiversity-related multilateral environmental agreements and relevant SDGs.; ; It calls for the adoption of a long-term strategic approach on biodiversity mainstreaming, and highlights that ecosystem restoration, conservation and ecosystem-based approaches can significantly contribute to combating climate change.
GM mosquitoes in Burkina Faso: Scientists hope to end malaria with genetically modified mosquitoes
TimesNowNews, TimesNow, 2018-10-22 00:00:00.Scientists are determined that the release of the genetically engineered mosquitoes in Africa will help eradicate malaria in the region that kills nearly three million people worldwide every year.
Synthetic biology mosquitoes: Pioneering solution emerges to counter fears over using genetic engineerting to control Zika
4554English, C, Genetic Literacy Project, 2018-10-17 00:00:00.
In fall 2015, the biotech company Oxitec planned to release genetically engineered mosquitoes throughout the Florida Keys capable of stopping their wild relatives from spreading Zika, a dangerous virus that causes birth defects and damages the nervous system. These lab-bread insects carry a lethal gene that is only deactivated when the engineered mosquitoes are exposed to the antibiotic tetracycline. When they breed with their wild relatives, the mosquitoes pass this gene to their offspring. Because tetracycline isn’t available in nature, the offspring inevitably die when the gene is activated, which prevents them from transmitting Zika.
A Call to Protect Food Systems from Genetic Extinction Technology
12040Global Food and Agriculture Movement, etc Group, 2018-10-16 20:31:12.
Gene drives threaten natural systems. If released experimentally into the environment they may spread engineered genes uncontrollably through wild and domesticated species. This could alter ecological systems and food webs, harm biodiversity and eradicate beneficial organisms such as pollinators. Gene drives could disrupt lands, waters, food and fiber economies and harm Indigenous and peasant agroecological practices and cultures.
Just Say No to Agricultural Gene Drives
4722Bassey-Orovwuje, M., Project Syndicate, 2018-10-16 00:00:00.
By forcing laboratory-made genes on an entire population or species, cutting-edge gene-drive technologies have the power to transform entire ecosystems in one fell swoop. But where leading industrial agriculture firms see dollar signs, farmers in the regions where gene drives could be unleashed see a mortal threat to their livelihoods.
New GM ‘eradication’ techniques pose grave threat to ecosystems
Laroux, J, The Greens| The European Free Alliance, 2018-10-16 00:00:00.Do you remember those US “radiation movies” from the 1950s and 60s, where mutated animals wreaked havoc, like in the now cult film Them (featuring James Whitemore and some very clever and scary giant ants)? The point that these films were making, apart from the inherent dangers of nuclear fission technologies, was that it is not wise to have mutated creatures spread into the environment because we cannot handle the impacts.
Gene drive organisms: German ministry warns of risks from releases
GM Watch, GMWatch, 2018-10-15 00:00:00.The German Ministry for the Environment has, in response to an open letter sent by several civil society organisations, issued a statement very critical of genetically engineered organisms carrying a so-called gene drive. The ministry announced that it will take action on an international level to make sure that the associated risks are fully investigated. This position is especially relevant for an upcoming international conference within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which will take place in November.
Gene drive organisms: Warning of risks due to uncontrolled releases
Then, C, Testbiotech, 2018-10-12 00:00:00.The German Ministry for the Environment has in response to an open letter sent by several civil society organisations issued a statement very critical of genetically engineered organisms carrying a so-called gene drive. The ministry announced that it will take action on an international level to make sure that the associated risks are fully investigated.
Forcing the Farm
4558etc group, etc group, 2018-10-10 00:00:00.
This report is being issued as an alert to governments, civil society organisations and grassroots movements. It points to how gene drives, while promoted as a tool for medicine and conservation, will find their real use in food and farming by agribusiness. It calls for a pause in applied research in gene drives and a halt on releases to the environment until a thorough and public process of dialogue has taken place and rules are established that ensure clear consent and defence of food sovereignty
Gene drive used to turn all female mosquitos sterile
4589Timmer, J, ARS Technica, 2018-09-27 00:00:00.
We've known for a long time that we can limit malaria infections by controlling the mosquitos that transmit them. But that knowledge hasn't translated into control efforts that have always been completely successful. Many of the approaches we've used to control mosquitos have caused environmental problems, and mosquito populations are large enough that they have evolved resistance to many of our pesticides.; ; That made the development of what are called "gene drive" constructs exciting (if a bit scary). They have the potential to rapidly spread genes throughout a population—including a mosquito population. But the prospect of a modern genetic control of mosquito populations has run up against the very old problem of evolution, as the gene drives often stall due to genetic changes that allow mosquito populations to escape their impact.
Malaria mosquitoes wiped out in lab trials of gene drive testing
4568Kelland, K, The Wire, 2018-09-26 00:00:00.
London: Scientists have succeeded in wiping out a population of caged mosquitoes in laboratory experiments using a type of genetic engineering known as a gene drive, which spread a modification blocking female reproduction.; ; The researchers, whose work was published on Monday in the journal Nature Biotechnology, managed to eliminate the population in less than 11 generations, suggesting the technique could in future be used to control the spread of malaria, a parasitic disease carried by Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes.
Gene drives breakthrough needs urgent restraint
4586Steinbrecher, R, GMWatch, 2018-09-24 00:00:00.
Gene drive researchers associated with Target Malaria and funded by US DARPA, the GATES Foundation and the UK BBSRC have just managed to crash a population of caged mosquitoes after 7-11 generations.(1); ; This is a first, and it has brought this technology beyond the proof of principle. However, in their effort to avoid any resistance to the gene drive, they have focused on a highly stable, ‘conserved’ and vital gene that is found in many species, especially closely related mosquito species. This could enable the gene drive to eliminate populations of multiple non-target species, with very serious implications indeed for biodiversity and ecosystems.; ; We begin by explaining something about gene drives before focusing on what is different about this latest research just published by Kyrou et al. 2018 in Nature Biotechnology.
Here’s the Plan to End Malaria With Crispr-Edited Mosquitoes
4571Molteni, M, Wired, 2018-09-24 00:00:00.
In 2003, scientists at London’s Imperial College hatched a somewhat out-there idea. They wanted to deal with the increasingly pesticide-resistant mosquitoes that were killing half a million people a year by spreading malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. What biologists Austin Burt and Andrea Crisanti proposed was nothing short of hacking the laws of heredity.; ; By planting a deadly gene in mosquito DNA, and engineering it such that the modification would spread through each generation faster than nature intended, they figured they could completely crash a population with just a few Trojan skeeters. This concept of a “gene drive” was decades-old, but no one had successfully concocted one in a lab, let alone applied it to a global public health scourge.
A swarm of mutant mosquitoes is out to eradicate malaria
4575O'Mahony, J, Wired, 2018-09-21 00:00:00.
Over the next year in the village of Bana, Burkina Faso, a group of scientists will set loose up to 10,000 mosquitoes sprinkled with fluorescent dust. The sterile, male swarm will represent the first ever release of a genetically modified, malaria carrying mosquito species into the wild. It's a milestone not only for science, but also for community engagement and regulatory hurdles in Africa.; ; Most significantly, however, these mosquitoes will lay the ground for the eventual deployment of a powerful biological tool which researchers hope will one day stop malaria altogether.
Gene Drive
4551Collins, CH, Scientific American, 2018-09-14 00:00:00.
Research into a genetic engineering technology that can permanently change the traits of a population or even an entire species is progressing rapidly. The approach uses gene drives—genetic elements that pass from parents to unusually high numbers of their offspring, thereby spreading through populations rather quickly. Gene drives occur naturally but can also be engineered, and doing so could be a boon to humanity in many ways. The technology has the potential to stop insects from transmitting malaria and other terrible infections, enhance crop yields by altering pests that attack plants, render corals resistant to environmental stress, and keep invasive plants and animals from destroying ecosystems. Yet investigators are deeply aware that altering or even eliminating a species could have profound consequences. In response, they are developing rules to govern the transfer of gene drives from the laboratory into future field tests and wider use.
When Evolution Fights Back Against Genetic Engineering
4548Borel, B, Quanta Magazine, 2018-09-08 00:00:00.
In a crowded auditorium at New York’s Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in August, Philipp Messer, a population geneticist at Cornell University, took the stage to discuss a powerful and controversial new application for genetic engineering: gene drives.; ; Gene drives can force a trait through a population, defying the usual rules of inheritance. A specific trait ordinarily has a 50-50 chance of being passed along to the next generation. A gene drive could push that rate to nearly 100 percent. The genetic dominance would then continue in all future generations. You want all the fruit flies in your lab to have light eyes? Engineer a drive for eye color, and soon enough, the fruit flies’ offspring will have light eyes, as will their offspring, and so on for all future generations. Gene drives may work in any species that reproduces sexually, and they have the potential to revolutionize disease control, agriculture, conservation and more. Scientists might be able to stop mosquitoes from spreading malaria, for example, or eradicate an invasive species.
For the first time, researchers will release genetically engineered mosquitoes in Africa
11444Ike Swetitz, STAT, 2018-09-05 18:02:01.
The government of Burkina Faso granted scientists permission to release genetically engineered mosquitoes anytime this year or next, researchers announced Wednesday. It’s a key step in the broader efforts to use bioengineering to eliminate malaria in the region.
Existing rules cover gene-drive usage
4728Strassheim, S.S., W., Nature, 2018-07-18 00:00:00.
Letter: Gene Drive and Trust in Science
4547Boëte, C, GeneWatch, 2018-07-18 00:00:00.
In a recent paper, Emerson et al. present five principles for gene drive research that they argue should be adopted by its sponsors and supporters: 1) advancing quality science to promote the public good; 2) the promotion of stewardship, safety, and good governance principles; 3) transparency and accountability; 4) engaging thoughtfully with affected communities, stakeholders, and publics; and 5) fostering opportunities to strengthen capacity and education.1 Emerson et al. report that 13 organizations, including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), have made a commitment to honor the five principles.
Gene drives accelerate evolution – but we need brakes
4590Tsai, Y-HP, Tony, The Conversation, 2018-07-05 00:00:00.
Worried about mice in the kitchen? Fed up with pigeons on your way to work? Teed off by weeds on your lawn? Recent work points to a way that might just reduce – or even eliminate – unwanted species in a short period. The method is based on something called a gene drive – a method of making changes to an entire population of a specific species by altering its genetic material (its genome).; ; Although gene drives are today restricted to the confines of a few laboratories, they have immense promise. In addition to potential pest removal they might, for example, allow us to make livestock more resilient to disease, enhance the nutritional value of crops, or eliminate the mosquitoes that transmit infectious diseases such as zika and malaria.
How science could wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes and save lives
4553Elliot, JK, Global News, 2018-06-15 00:00:00.
Mosquitoes kill hundreds of thousands of people every year by spreading disease in tropical areas. They’re also the worst part of many cottage weekends and camping trips in North America.; ; But it doesn’t have to be that way.; ; Scientists are developing two methods for eliminating mosquitoes that carry disease, which could be deployed sometime within the next 15 years.; ; The first, dubbed the sterile insect technique, could be used to kill off disease-carrying mosquitoes in urban areas.
Gene drive technology considered in the fight to save native animals from feral cats
4585Smail, S, ABC News Online, 2018-05-30 00:00:00.
Feral cats kill thousands of native animals every minute — now a controversial plan to use gene drive technology as a weapon against them is being considered by the Federal Government
Gene drive put to work for first time.
4542Arnason, R, The Western Producer, 2018-05-03 00:00:00.
A disruptive technology that potentially could eliminate or reduce the need for insecticides may soon be coming to market. In a paper published April 17 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University of California, San Diego biologists announced they have developed a gene drive to control an agricultural pest. The pest is the spotted wing drosophila, a fruit fly that damages berry and fruit crops. “This is the first gene drive system in a major worldwide crop pest,” said Omar Akbari, of UC San Diego. “This system could in the future be used to control populations of (drosophila).” A gene drive is a tool to spread a genetic alteration into a wild population of a certain species. In nature, there is on average a 50 percent chance of a parent passing a particular trait to an offspring. With a gene drive, a specified gene is inherited by all offspring, even if it is present in only one parent
Gene Drives
6636SciLine, SciLine, 2018-04-25 20:09:28.
For many years now, scientists have been able to alter genes inside microbial, plant, and animal cells to change organisms’ traits, creating, for example, plants that produce their own protective insecticides and fish that grow to maturity almost twice as fast as normal. But while it has become practically routine for scientists to genetically alter individual organisms, a new set of advances promises something much more ambitious: the ability to propagate new genetic traits* into entire populations over just a few generations. Rapid, population-wide dissemination of new traits is challenging because in most sexually reproducing species, only half of an individual’s offspring will inherit any given version of a gene.
Rats join mosquitoes as targets for ‘gene drive’ pest control.
4596Hirschler, B, Reuters, 2017-12-17 00:00:00.
Rodents have joined mosquitoes in the cross-hairs of scientists working on a next-generation genetic technology known as “gene drive” to control pests.; Researchers in Scotland said on Tuesday they had developed two different ways to disrupt female fertility in rats and mice, building on a similar approach that has already been tested in the lab to eliminate malaria-carrying mosquitoes.; So-called gene drives push engineered genes through multiple generations by over-riding normal biological processes, so that all offspring carry two copies. Usually, animals would receive one copy of a gene from the mother and one from the father.
‘Gene Drives’ Are Too Risky for Field Trials, Scientists Say
4600Zimmer, C, New York Times, 2017-11-16 00:00:00.
In 2013, scientists discovered a new way to precisely edit genes — technology called Crispr that raised all sorts of enticing possibilities. Scientists wondered if it might be used to fix hereditary diseases, for example, or to develop new crops.; ; One of the more intriguing ideas came from Kevin M. Esvelt and his colleagues at Harvard University: Crispr, they suggested, could be used to save endangered wildlife from extinction by implanting a fertility-reducing gene in invasive animals — a so-called gene drive.
Could genetic engineering save the Galapagos?
14868S. S. Hall, Scientific American, 2017-11-01 19:26:09.
Campbell has been working on eradications in the Galápagos since 1997, including a 2006 campaign to remove all the feral goats and donkeys from Floreana. A decade later he’s a project manager with Island Conservation, and the most ambitious project on its agenda is once again on Floreana: to eradicate every single rat and mouse on the island.
