Supporters: Core Commitments for Field Trials of Gene Drive Organisms.
Core commitments for field trials of gene drive organisms
15161K. C. Long, L. Alphey, G. J. Annas, C. S. Bloss, K. J. Campbell, J. Champer, C.-H. Chen, A. Choudhary, G. M. Church, J. P. Collins, K. L. Cooper, J. A. Delborne, O. R. Edwards, C. I. Emerson, K. Esvelt, S. W. Evans, R. M. Friedman, V. M. Gantz, F. Gould,, Science, 370:1417-1419. 2020-12-17 20:01:12.
While field trials of gene drive organisms (GDOs) ultimately will depend on public policy decisions, those engaged in GDO work can play critical roles in support of these decisions by generating evidence and developing evaluation strategies in fair and effective partnerships with relevant authorities and other stakeholders. The authorship of this statement reflects the current reality that GDO development is occurring primarily in high-income countries. However, fair partnership with counterparts and communities in low- and middle-income countries where many GDOs have the highest potential for positive impact, as well as recognition of the need for capacity-building and global cooperation, underlies each of our commitments.
“Core Commitments” (in brief) from Long et al (2020):
Fair partnership and transparency: Fair partnership among GDO developers, communities where GDOs may be released, regulators, and stakeholders and other experts is critical and will require substantial time and resources
Product efficacy and safety: Evidence of laboratory efficacy will be demonstrated prior to a GDO release
Regulatory evaluation and risk/benefit assessment: At a minimum, conducting GDO field trials requires adherence to existing, and often evolving, national (or, in some cases, subnational) regulations and regional and international agreements.
Monitoring and mitigation: GDO developers should engage and partner with communities, regulators, evolutionary biologists, ecologists, and social scientists to prepare and participate in surveillance for effectiveness and safety, and to monitor unintended consequences before, during, and after release, with accountability to various partners delineated before a field trial.
If you share these core commitments for field trials of gene drive organisms you are invited to indicate your support by becoming a signatory.
The following have expressed their support for these core commitments for field trials of gene drive organisms.
| First Name | Last Name | Title | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omar | Akbari | Professor | UCSD |
| Gordana | Rasic | Dr. | QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute |
| Kanya | Long | Assistant Professor | UCSD |
| Jason | Rasgon | Professor of Disease Epidemiology | Penn State University |
| Cinnamon | Bloss | Associate Professor | UC San Diego |
| Yoosook | Lee | Assistant Professor | UF IFAS Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory |
| Larisa | Rudenko | Research Affiliate | MIT |
| Jason | Delborne | Professor of Science, Policy, and Society | North Carolina State University |
| David | Threadgill | Professor | Texas A&M University |
| Toni | Piaggio | Research Scientist | USDA |
| Hirotaka | Kanuka | Professor | Jikei University School of Medicine |
| Jesse | Reynolds | Emmett / Frankel Fellow in Environmental Law and Policy | University of California, Los Angeles School of Law |
| Jia | Huang | Professor | Zhejiang University |
| Nourou | Barry | PhD, Social scientist | IRSS/DRO Burkina Faso |
| Robyn | Raban | Research Data Analyst | University of California San Diego |
