Keywords: Synthetic biology
Overcoming drug-resistant tumors with selection gene drives
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Modeling, Synthetic biologyHui Wang, Mingqi Xie, Cell Genomics, 4. 2024.
Drug resistance is a major hurdle prohibiting effective treatment of many diseases, including cancer. Using model-guided designs, Leighow et al.1 engineered a dual-switch selection gene drive system custom designed to combat drug-resistant tumors. By demonstrating remarkable ...
Programming tumor evolution with selection gene drives to proactively combat drug resistance
Tags: Synthetic biologyLeighow, S.M., Reynolds, J.A., Sokirniy, I. et al., Nature Biotechnology, 2024.
Most targeted anticancer therapies fail due to drug resistance evolution. Here we show that tumor evolution can be reproducibly redirected to engineer therapeutic opportunity, regardless of the exact ensemble of pre-existing genetic heterogeneity. We develop a selection gene ...
First synthetic gene drive for plants could help eradicate weeds
Tags: Agriculture, Gene drive, Synthetic biologyErik Stokstad, Science, 2024.
More than a decade ago, a research group used the genome editor CRISPR to put evolution on fast forward, spurring a gene to spread throughout a population of lab-reared fruit flies many times faster than it normally could in nature. Mosquitoes with CRISPR-based “gene drives” ...
A Y chromosome-linked genome editor for efficient population suppression in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae
Tags: Anopheles, Malaria, Synthetic biology, Vector controlIgnacio Tolosana, Katie Willis, Austin Burt, Matthew Gribble, Tony Nolan, Andrea Crisanti, Federica Bernardini, bioRxiv, 2024.
Genetic control – the deliberate introduction of genetic traits to control a pest or vector population – offers a powerful tool to augment conventional mosquito control tools that have been successful in reducing malaria burden but that are compromised by a range of ...
Altering traits and fates of wild populations with Mendelian DNA sequence modifying Allele Sails
Tags: CRISPR, Modeling, Synthetic biologyMichelle L. Johnson, Bruce A. Hay, Maciej Maselko, Nature Communications, 15. 2024.
Population-scale genome editing can be used to alter the composition or fate of wild populations. One approach to achieving these aims utilizes a synthetic gene drive element—a multi-gene cassette—to bring about an increase in the frequency of an existing allele. However, the ...
A multiplexed, confinable CRISPR/Cas9 gene drive can propagate in caged Aedes aegypti populations
Tags: Aedes, CRISPR, Gene editing, Synthetic biologyAnderson, M.A.E., Gonzalez, E., Edgington, M.P. et al., Nature Communications, 15. 2024.
Aedes aegypti is the main vector of several major pathogens including dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses. Classical mosquito control strategies utilizing insecticides are threatened by rising resistance. This has stimulated interest in new genetic systems such as gene ...
A bumpy road ahead for genetic biocontainment
Tags: Policy, Synthetic biologyGeorge, D.R., Danciu, M., Davenport, P.W. et al, Nature Communications, 2024.
The environmental release of bioengineered organisms is increasingly being suggested for a variety of applications, including bioremediation, biosequestration, bio-mining, environmental biosensing and conservation. The objectives of many environmental release applications shift ...
Gene drive and genetic sex conversion in the global agricultural pest Ceratitis capitata
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic engineering, Population suppression, Sex distorter, Synthetic biologyMeccariello, A., Hou, S., Davydova, S. et al., Nature Communications, 15:372. 2024.
Homing-based gene drives are recently proposed interventions promising the area-wide, species-specific genetic control of harmful insect populations. Here we characterise a first set of gene drives in a tephritid agricultural pest species, the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis ...
Programmed evolution: Using asexual gene drives to sculpt tumor populations and combat genetic diversity
Tags: Synthetic biologyJustin Pritchard, Scott Leighow, Joshua Reynolds et al., Research Square, 2024.
Resistance evolution is responsible for the failure of most targeted anticancer therapies. Tumor heterogeneity is so profound that pre-existing resistance is thought to be guaranteed at the time that advanced disease is detected. The practice of waiting for treatment failure and ...
Population suppression with dominant female-lethal alleles is boosted by homing gene drive
Tags: Fruit fly, Gene drive, Modeling, Pest management, Population suppression, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Synthetic biologyJinyu Zhu, Jingheng Chen, Yiran Liu, Xuejiao Xu, Jackson Champer, bioRxiv, 2023.
Methods to suppress pest insect populations using genetic constructs and repeated releases of male homozygotes have recently been shown to be an attractive alternative to older sterile insect technique based on radiation. Female-specific lethal alleles have substantially ...
A homing rescue gene drive with multiplexed gRNAs reaches high frequency in cage populations but generates functional resistance
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive, Other arthropods, Population modification/replacement, Replicator/site directed nuclease, Synthetic biologyJingheng Chen, Shibo Hou, Ruobing Feng, Xuejiao Xu, Nan Liang, Jackson Champer, bioRxiv, 2023.
CRISPR homing gene drive is a potent technology with considerable potential for managing populations of medically and agriculturally significant insects. It induces a bias in the inheritance of the drive allele in progeny, rapidly spreading desired genes throughout the ...
Advances and challenges in synthetic biology for mosquito control
Tags: Gene editing, Genetic biocontrol, Mosquitoes, Synthetic biology, Vector controlShih-Che Weng, Reem A. Masri, Omar S. Akbari, Trends in Parasitology, 2023.
Mosquito-borne illnesses represent a significant global health peril, resulting in approximately one million fatalities annually. West Nile, dengue, Zika, and malaria are continuously expanding their global reach, driven by factors that escalate mosquito populations and pathogen ...
Gene drives for the extinction of wild metapopulations
Tags: Population genetics/dynamics, Synthetic biologyJason W. Olejarz, Martin A. Nowak, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 2023.
Population-suppressing gene drives may be capable of extinguishing wild populations, with proposed applications in conservation, agriculture, and public health. However, unintended and potentially disastrous consequences of release of drive-engineered individuals are extremely ...
A synthetic biology approach to transgene expression
Tags: Aedes, Anopheles, Culex, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Synthetic biologyP. Leftwich, T. , J. Purcell, C. , M. Anderson, A. E. , R. Fragkoudis, S. Basu, G. Lycett, T. and L. Alphey, bioRxiv, 2023.08.31.555539. 2023.
The ability to control gene expression is pivotal in genetic engineering and synthetic biology. However, in most non-model and pest insect species, empirical evidence for predictable modulation of gene expression levels is lacking. This knowledge gap is critical for genetic ...
Population suppression by release of insects carrying a dominant sterile homing gene drive targeting doublesex in Drosophila
Tags: CRISPR, Fruit fly, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Modeling, Population suppression, Sex distorter, Sterile insect technique (SIT), Synthetic biologyC. Weizhe, G. Jialiang, L. Yiran and C. Jackson, bioRxiv, 2023.07.17.549342. 2023.
Gene drive alleles, which bias their own inheritance and increase in frequency, show great promise for blocking disease transmission or directly suppressing pest populations. The most common engineered drive system is the CRISPR homing drive, which converts wild-type alleles to ...
Fighting the battle against evolution: designing genetically modified organisms for evolutionary stability
Tags: Evolution, Gene drive, Genetic biocontrol, Synthetic biologyM. Arbel-Groissman, I. Menuhin-Gruman, D. Naki, S. Bergman and T. Tuller, Trends in Biotechnology, 2023.
Synthetic biology has made significant progress in many areas, but a major challenge that has received limited attention is the evolutionary stability of synthetic constructs made of heterologous genes. The expression of these constructs in microorganisms, that is, production of ...
Steering and controlling evolution — from bioengineering to fighting pathogens
Tags: Evolution, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Synthetic biologyM. Lässig, V. Mustonen and A. Nourmohammad, Nature Reviews Genetics, 2023.
Control interventions steer the evolution of molecules, viruses, microorganisms or other cells towards a desired outcome. Applications range from engineering biomolecules and synthetic organisms to drug, therapy and vaccine design against pathogens and cancer. In all these ...
Anti-CRISPR Anopheles mosquitoes inhibit gene drive spread under challenging behavioural conditions in large cages
Tags: Anopheles, CRISPR, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Mosquitoes, Population genetics/dynamics, Synthetic biologyA. Simoni, R. D'Amato, C. Taxiarchi, M. Galardini, A. Trusso, R. Minuz, S. Gilli, A. Somerville, D. Shittu, A. Khalil, R. Galizi and R. Muller, Research Square, 2023.
CRISPR-based gene drives have the potential to spread within a population and are considered as promising vector control tools. A doublesex-targeting gene drive was shown effective to suppress laboratory populations in both small and large cages, and it is considered for field ...
Engineering stringent genetic biocontainment of yeast with a protein stability switch
Tags: Containment, Genetic incompatibilities, Synthetic biology, Yeast and FungiS. A. Hoffmann and Y. Cai, bioRxiv, 2022.11.24.517818. 2022.
Synthetic biology holds immense promise to tackle key problems we are facing, for instance in resource use, environmental health, and human health care. However, comprehensive safety measures are needed to deploy genetically engineered microorganisms in open-environment ...
Ethics of gene drive mosquitoes for malaria elimination
Tags: Ethics, Policy, Stakeholder engagement, Synthetic biologyA. J. Roberts, McMaster University, 2022.
This thesis is concerned with presenting analyses regarding key ethical issues regarding and arising from the development and potential use of gene drive modified mosquitoes for the purpose of malaria elimination. Each of the chapters constituting this thesis offers a rigorously ...
Hurdles in responsive community engagement for the development of environmental biotechnologies
Tags: Ethics, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Stakeholder engagement, Synthetic biologyA. M. Normandin, L. M. Fitzgerald, J. Yip and S. W. Evans, Synthetic Biology, 7:ysac022. 2022.
Recent calls for engaging communities in biotechnology development do not draw enough attention to the hurdles that must be overcome for engagement strategies to effectively feed back into research design and conduct. These hurdles call into question many standard ways of ...
Rational engineering of a synthetic insect-bacterial mutualism
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Other Symbionts, Synthetic biologyY. Su, H.-C. Lin, L. S. Teh, F. Chevance, I. James, C. Mayfield, K. G. Golic, J. A. Gagnon, O. Rog and C. Dale, Current Biology, 2022.
Summary Many insects maintain mutualistic associations with bacterial endosymbionts, but little is known about how they originate in nature. In this study, we describe the establishment and manipulation of a synthetic insect-bacterial symbiosis in a weevil host. Following egg ...
Biologists engineered insect-bacterial mutualism in ‘bucket list’ achievement
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Other Symbionts, Synthetic biologyAnnonymous, @THEU, 2022.
A new paper in Current Biology authored by Crystal Su and other collaborators in the School of Biological Sciences describes the development of a novel, synthetic insect-bacterial symbiosis that is sustained through many insect generations by transovarial bacterial transmission. ...
Bayesian network-based risk assessment of synthetic biology: Simulating CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive dynamics in invasive rodent management
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Invasive species, Pest management, Risk assessment, Rodents, Synthetic biologyE. A. Brown, S. R. Eikenbary and W. G. Landis, Risk Analysis, 2022.
Gene drive technology has been proposed to control invasive rodent populations as an alternative to rodenticides. However, this approach has not undergone risk assessment that meets criteria established by Gene Drives on the Horizon, a 2016 report by the National Academies of ...
GeneConvene Global Collaborative Webinar Series | Demystifying the Convention on Biological Diversity – Seven Videos
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive synthetic, Governance, Synthetic biology, WebinarHector Quemada and David O'Brochta, GeneConvene Global Collaborative, 2022.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international agreement aimed at providing the legal framework for country cooperation to conserve biodiversity, while also enabling its sustainable use, and providing for fair and equitable sharing of the benefits derived from ...
Insect pest management in the age of synthetic biology
Tags: Agriculture, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Synthetic biologyR. Mateos Fernández, M. Petek, I. Gerasymenko, M. Juteršek, Š. Baebler, K. Kallam, E. Moreno Giménez, J. Gondolf, A. Nordmann, K. Gruden, D. Orzaez and N. J. Patron, Plant Biotechnology Journal, 2021.
Arthropod crop pests are responsible for 20% of global annual crop losses, a figure predicted to increase in a changing climate where the ranges of numerous species are projected to expand. At the same time, many insect species are beneficial, acting as pollinators and predators ...
The legal regulation of gene drive technologies
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Ethics, Gene drive, Governance, Policy, Regulation, Synthetic biologyC. Elves, Univeristy of Oxford, 2021.
Gene drive technologies purport to provide a panacea and yet in doing so present unprecedented risks that threaten to change, potentially irreversibly, the way in which we live in the world. Gene drive technologies raise questions about what ends societies ought to seek for their ...
Developing GDi-CRISPR System for Multi-copy Integration in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive synthetic, Synthetic biology, Yeast and FungiZ.-X. Zhang, Y.-Z. Wang, Y.-S. Xu, X.-M. Sun and H. Huang, Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 2021.
This study aims to develop a low-cost and easy-to-use multi-copy integration tool in S. cerevisiae. Firstly, twenty-one Cas proteins from different microorganisms were tested in S. cerevisiae to find the functional Cas proteins with optimal cleavage ability. Results showed that ...
Population genomics of invasive rodents on islands: Genetic consequences of colonization and prospects for localized synthetic gene drive
Tags: Containment, CRISPR, Gene drive synthetic, Gene editing, Genetic biocontrol, Risk and safety, Rodents, Synthetic biologyK. P. Oh, A. B. Shiels, L. Shiels, D. V. Blondel, K. J. Campbell, J. R. Saah, A. L. Lloyd, P. Q. Thomas, F. Gould, Z. Abdo, J. R. Godwin and A. J. Piaggio, Evolutionary Applications, 2021.
Here we used pooled whole-genome sequencing of invasive mouse (Mus musculus) populations on four islands along with paired putative source populations to test genetic predictions of island colonization and characterize locally fixed Cas9 genomic targets. Patterns of variation ...
Plain language summary: How do we have a public conversation about new technologies for conservation? The possibilities and pitfalls of scientific language
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive synthetic, Oceania, Stakeholder engagement, Synthetic biologyAnnonymous, Relational Thinking, 2021.
Having caused a catastrophic decline of animal species, people now look to new technologies to reverse the damage. Gene drive is a potential tool that could increase the proportion of male offspring in rat populations and eventually reduce their overall numbers. Some suggest this ...
Scientifically framed gene drive communication perceived as credible but riskier
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive synthetic, Invasive species, Policy, Risk and safety, Stakeholder engagement, Synthetic biologyE. A. MacDonald, E. D. Edwards, J. Balanovic and F. Medvecky, People and Nature, 2021.
Framing is a communication technique in which certain beliefs or values are emphasized that resonate with the target audience. Framing may increase how much people objectively think about new information and update their opinions; framing may mitigate emo
Projects to target a range of pest control solutions
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Pest management, Synthetic biologyK. McCormack, The Chronicle, 2021.
With the annual national cost of established vertebrate pest animals estimated to be around $800 million, and over $4 billion for weeds, it’s in Australia’s best interest to try and tackle these pesky problems at their root causes. 19 projects will be funded following a ...
Assisting Evolution: How Far Should We Go to Help Species Adapt?
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, CRISPR, Gene drive synthetic, Gene editing, Invasive species, Oceania, Synthetic biologyE. Kolbert, YaleEnvironment360, 2021.
It was a hot, intensely blue day in the Australian Outback, about 350 miles north of Adelaide. I was tagging along with Moseby as she checked the batteries on the motion-sensitive cameras that dot Arid Recovery, an ecosystem restoration project she and her husband launched in ...
Should we dim the sun? Will we even have a choice
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, CRISPR, Ecology, Gene drive synthetic, Gene editing, Invasive species, Oceania, Synthetic biologyE. Klein, New York Times, 2021.
“Under a White Sky” is going to be on my best books of 2021 list. It’s a wonderful work. Kolbert is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Sixth Extinction,” which you may have read. She is a staff writer at The New Yorker and just one of the great science ...
Public attitudes towards synthetic biology
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Oceania, Policy, Stakeholder engagement, Synthetic biologyCSIRO, Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, 2021.
A national survey has been conducted by CSIRO’s Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform as an important first step in measuring public attitudes towards synthetic biology. The survey draws on the views of more than 8,000 Australians, and researchers are examining the data to ...
In Our Image: The Ethics of CRISPR Genome Editing
Tags: CRISPR, Ethics, Gene drive synthetic, Gene editing, Synthetic biologyJ. C. Eissenberg, Biomolecular Concepts, 12:1-7. 2021.
Here, I discuss the ethics surrounding the transformative CRISPR/Cas9mediated genome editing technology in the contexts of human genome editing to eradicate genetic disease and of gene drive technology to eradicate animal vectors of human disease.
Playing God and tampering with nature: popular labels for real concerns in synthetic biology
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Ethics, Gene drive, Genetic biocontrol, Policy, Risk and safety, Risk assessment, Stakeholder engagement, Synthetic biologyL. Carter, A. Mankad, E. V. Hobman and N. B. Porter, Transgenic Research, 2021.
We present the findings from a large Australian study (N = 4593) which suggests ‘playing God’ objections and their variants can be multilayered and, at times, accompanied by meaningful information about risk perceptions. We use qualitative analysis of ope
The Promises and Realities of Integration in Synthetic Biology: A View From Social Science
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, Policy, Stakeholder engagement, Synthetic biologyL. Carter and A. Mankad, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 8. 2021.
We take stock of thepromises and realities of science integration by sharing our experiences of embarking onthis very challenge in Australia. We conclude by offering suggestions for bringing aboutthe enabling conditions for improved integration across the natural and social ...
Vector dynamics influence spatially imperfect genetic interventions against disease
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive synthetic, Synthetic biology, Yeast and FungiM. K. Yuksel, C. H. Remien, B. Karki, J. J. Bull and S. M. Krone, Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, 9:1-10. 2020.
In spatially structured populations, imperfect coverage of the vector will leave pockets in which the parasite may persist. Movement by humans may disrupt this local persistence and facilitate eradication when these pockets are small, spreading parasite reproduction outside ...
New insect species made via genetic engineering
Tags: CRISPR, Cytoplasmic incompatibility, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Genetic incompatibilities, Synthetic biologyL. Leffer, SCIENCELINE, 2020.
A biotech fast-forward button for evolution is on the horizon. Researchers say they have used a novel genetic engineering method to create several new species of fruit fly in the lab for the first time — an achievement which might help put a future without malaria and other ...
Governing New Biotechnologies for Biodiversity Conservation: Gene Drives, International Law, and Emerging Politics
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Synthetic biologyJ. L. Reynolds, Global Environmental Politics, 20:28-48. 2020.
This article describes and analyzes the international law and politics of gene drives’ research, development, and possible use, with an emphasis on their potential biodiversity applications.
Socrates Untenured: Ethics, Experts, and the Public in the Synthetic Age
Tags: Ethics, Gene drive synthetic, Gene editing, Genetically modified organisms, Synthetic biologyC. Preston, ISSUES in Science and Technology, 2020.
C. Preston (2020). Three tools have transformed biotechnology over the past decade and a half. Gene reading has made it possible to quickly sequence the genome of any living creature. Gene synthesis has made it possible to construct DNA sequences in the lab from constituent ...
CRISPR/Cas9 gene drive technology to control transmission of vector-borne parasitic infections
Tags: CRISPR, Gene drive, Malaria, Synthetic biology, Vector controlM. Nateghi Rostami, Parasite Immunology, preprint:e12762. 2020.
Gene drive is the process of copying of an endonuclease-containing cassette that leads to increased frequency of inheritance of the desired traits in a targeted population. CRISPR/Cas9 technology is advancing genetic manipulation of insects in the field of gene drive ...
Public Opinion Towards Gene Drive as a Pest Control Approach for Biodiversity Conservation and the Association of Underlying Worldviews
Tags: CRISPR, Ecology, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, Oceania, Policy, Stakeholder engagement, Synthetic biologyE. A. MacDonald, J. Balanovic, E. D. Edwards, W. Abrahamse, B. Frame, A. Greenaway, R. Kannemeyer, N. Kirk, F. Medvecky, T. L. Milfont, J. C. Russell and D. M. Tompkins, Environmental Communication-a Journal of Nature and Culture, 15:1-16. 2020.
Synthetic gene drive approaches are nascent technologies with potential applicability for pest control for conservation purposes. Responsible science mandates that society be engaged in a dialogue over new technology, particularly where there exist global ramifications as with ...
Metaphor, Trust and Support for Non-native Species Control
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive, Invasive species, Pest management, Policy, Stakeholder engagement, Synthetic biologyP. A. Kohl, S. J. Collins and M. Eichholz, Environmental Communication, 14:672-685. 2020.
This experimental study used a representative sample of U.S. residents (N = 1,042) to test whether the use of the term "invasive" increases support for non-native species control efforts. The term invasive had a small influence on support for two out of three non-native species ...
Genetic frontiers for conservation: An assessment of synthetic biology and biodiversity conservation
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Genetic engineering, Genetically modified organisms, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Risk assessment, Synthetic biologyK. H. Redford, T. Brooks, M., B. W. Nicholas and J. S. A. Macfarlane, International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2019.
This assessment is the beginning of a process that will lead to the development of an IUCN policy to guide the Union’s Director General, Commissions, and Members. The draft policy will be discussed in many fora before it is brought to vote at the World Conservation Congress in ...
Gene Drives: Dynamics and Regulatory Matters-A Report from the Workshop “Evaluation of Spatial and Temporal Control of Gene Drives,” April 4-5, 2019, Vienna
Tags: Gene drive, Modeling, Policy, Population genetics/dynamics, Regulation, Risk and safety, Synthetic biologyB. Giese, J. L. Friess, N. H. Barton, P. W. Messer, F. Debarre, M. F. Schetelig, N. Windbichler, H. Meimberg and C. Boete, Bioessays, 41:3. 2019.
Gene Drives are regarded as future tools with a high potential for population control. Due to their inherent ability to overcome the rules of Mendelian inheritance, gene drives (GD) may spread genes rapidly through populations of sexually reproducing organisms. A release of ...
Synthetic Biology: Research Needs for Assessing Environmental Impacts
Tags: Gene drive, Governance, Policy, Risk assessment, Synthetic biologyC. M. Warner, S. R. Carter, R. F. Lance, F. H. Crocker, H. N. Meeks, B. L. Adams, M. L. Magnuson, T. Rycroft, K. Pokrzywinski and E. J. Perkins, Synthetic Biology 2020: Frontiers in Risk Analysis and Governance, 2019.
Synthetic biology and its applications have the potential to greatly improve economic development, public health, environmental stewardship, technological advancement, and many other areas. In May 2017, sixty individuals gathered in Lexington, Massachusetts for a workshop ...
Synthetic Biology and the United Nations
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Synthetic biologyH.-E. Lai, C. Canavan, L. Cameron, S. Moore, M. Danchenko, T. Kuiken, Z. Sekeyová and P. S. Freemont, Trends in Biotechnology, 37:1146-1151. 2019.
Synthetic biology is a rapidly emerging interdisciplinary field of science and engineering that aims to redesign living systems through reprogramming genetic information. The field has catalysed global debate among policymakers and publics. Here we describe how synthetic biology ...
Biological control of pests and a social model of animal welfare
Tags: Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Invasive species, Policy, Stakeholder engagement, Synthetic biologyA. Mankad, U. Kennedy and L. Carter, Journal of Environmental Management, 247:313-322. 2019.
We consider the role of perceived humaneness or, more accurately, animal welfare as it relates to managing invasive species from a scientific and social perspective. In order to highlight and articulate particular nuances and standards across different pest control contexts, we ...
The EU regulatory framework on genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
Tags: Europe, Gene drive, Genetically modified organisms, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Synthetic biologyBruetschy, C, Transgenic Research, 28:169-174. 2019.
The European Union (EU) legislation on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) aims to ensure a high level of protection for human, animal and environmental health and a well-functioning EU internal market. The framework regulates the release of GMOs into the environment and their ...
Pest demography critically determines the viability of synthetic gene drives for population control
Tags: CRISPR, Evolution, Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Modeling, Population genetics/dynamics, Resistance, Sex distorter, Synthetic biologyK. E. Wilkins, T. A. A. Prowse, P. Cassey, P. Q. Thomas and J. V. Ross, Mathematical Biosciences, 305:160-169. 2018.
Synthetic gene drives offer a novel solution for the control of invasive alien species. CRISPR-based gene drives can positively bias their own inheritance, and comprise a DNA sequence that is replicated by homologous recombination. Since gene drives can be positioned to silence ...
What is CRISPR?
Tags: CRISPR, Gene editing, Synthetic biologyA. Vidyasagar, LiveScience, 2018.
CRISPR technology is a simple yet powerful tool for editing genomes. It allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene function. Its many potential applications include correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the spread of diseases and improving ...
Gene Drives – Wundermittel? Biowaffe?
Tags: Agriculture, Gene drive, Malaria, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Synthetic biologySwiss Academy of Sciences, 2018.
Gene drives are genetic elements that skew the pattern of inheritance of a given characteristic in sexually reproduc- ing organisms. They can be used to spread a characteristic that can alter or even reduce the numbers of individuals in wild populations of a certain species.
Report of the ad hoc technical expert group on synthetic biology
Tags: Genetically modified organisms, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Synthetic biologyAd Hoc Technical Working Group, Convention on Biological Diversity, 2017.
In decision XIII/17, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity commended the work of the online forum and the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Synthetic Biology (AHTEG) and welcomed the conclusions and recommendations of the report of the AHTEG as a ...
Genome editing: scientific opportunities, public interests and policy options in the European Union
Tags: CRISPR, Gene editing, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Synthetic biologyEASAC, European Academies Science Advisory Council, 2017.
In many of the areas in which EASAC, the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council, works, where a large and solid body of knowledge is needed to inform the action of our societies, it is important to recognise that there is an intimate mix of science and values involved in ...
A transatlantic perspective on 20 emerging issues in biological engineering
Tags: Gene drive, Gene drive synthetic, Genomics, Other Symbionts, Risk and safety, Synthetic biologyWintle, BCB, C. R.; Rhodes, C.; Molloy, J. C.; Millett, P.; Adam, L.; Breitling, R.; Carlson, R.; Casagrande, R.; Dando, M.; Doubleday, R.; Drexler, E.; Edwards, B.; Ellis, T.; Evans, N. G.; Hammond, R.; Haseloff, J.; Kahl, L.; Kuiken, T.; Lichman, B. R.; Matthewman, C. A.; Napier, J. A.; OhEigeartaigh, S. S.; Patron, N. J.; Perello, E.; Shapira, P.; Tait, J.; Takano, E.; Sutherland, W. J., eLife, 6:21. 2017.
Advances in biological engineering are likely to have substantial impacts on global society. To explore these potential impacts we ran a horizon scanning exercise to capture a range of perspectives on the opportunities and risks presented by biological engineering. We first ...
Guidance on risk assessment of living modified organisms and monitoring in the context of risk assessment
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive synthetic, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safety, Risk assessment, Synthetic biologyAd Hoc Technical Expert Group (AHTEG) on Risk Assessment and Risk Management,, Convention on Biological Diversity, 2016.
This document was developed by the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group (AHTEG) on Risk Assessment and Risk Management, with input from the Open-ended Online Expert Forum, in accordance with terms of reference set out by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the ...
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