BiohackingKeeping pace with the fast-developing science of gene drives
The emerging science of gene drives is drawing attention for its potential to help with critical health issues such as mosquito-borne diseases and environmental concerns such as agricultural pests and invasive species. At its most basic, a gene drive operates outside the traditional realm of genetics, in which an offspring has a 50-50 chance of inheriting a trait from one of its parents. A gene drive introduces a trait that will spread — or drive — through a population. “The science of gene drives is moving very fast,” says an expert. “[O]ur ability to assess the risks of gene drives, to oversee them with regulatory agencies, and to have a public discussion around gene drives is falling behind the science — We don’t want to wait until we have the technology in front of us to have discussions about regulation, oversight, ethics, and engagement.”
The emerging science of gene drives is drawing attention for its potential to help with critical health issues such as mosquito-borne diseases and environmental concerns such as agricultural pests and invasive species. At its most basic, a gene drive operates outside the traditional realm of genetics, in which an offspring has a 50-50 chance of inheriting a trait from one of its parents. A gene drive introduces a trait that will spread — or drive — through a population. In effect, a gene drive stacks the deck in favor of a trait being inherited, even if that trait does not help the species survive.
Examples of gene drives exist in nature, but recent laboratory research with CRISPR-Cas9, a targeted gene editing system, has shown that scientists can engineer a gene drive that would allow a targeted trait to spread through nearly 100 percent of a population of yeasts, fruit flies, or mosquitoes.
In July, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report, Gene Drives on the Horizon: Advancing Science, Navigating Uncertainty, and Aligning Research with Public Values, to explain the state of gene drive science and discuss next steps for scientists, stakeholders, regulatory agencies and the public.
The 15-person committee of experts who developed the report over the past year includes North Carolina State’s Jason Delborne, associate professor in the College of Natural Resources and the Genetic Engineering and Society cluster. Delborne, who has expertise in science and technology policy and public engagement on controversial scientific issues, helped introduce the report on Capitol Hill and during its public presentation in Washington, D.C.
NC State News sat down with Delborne to learn more about the gene drive report and its recommendations.
