Gene drives may cause a revolution, but safeguards and public engagement are needed
A "gene drive" occurs when a specific gene is spread at an enhanced rate through an animal or plant population.
A "gene drive" occurs when a specific gene is spread at an enhanced rate through an animal or plant population.
Biotechnology
May 5, 2017
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Releasing genetically-modified mosquitoes into the wild to fight malaria, Zika or other insect-borne diseases is premature and could have unintended consequences, researchers said in a new report.
Biotechnology
Jun 9, 2016
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Paul Nelson is used to doing battle with an invasive fruit fly called the spotted wing drosophila, a pest that one year ruined more than half the berries on the Minnesota farm he and his team run. In recent years, they've ...
Agriculture
Jun 17, 2023
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Researchers have demonstrated for the first time how two molecular strategies can safeguard CRISPR gene-drive experiments in the lab, according to a study published today in eLife.
Biotechnology
Jan 22, 2019
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Competition is a strong driving force of evolution for organisms of all sizes: Those individuals best equipped to obtain resources adapt and reproduce, while others may fall by the wayside. Many organisms—mammals, birds ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 6, 2012
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Precautionary approaches to governance of emerging technology, which call for constraints on the use of technology whose potential harms and other outcomes are highly uncertain, are often criticized for reflecting "risk panics," ...
Biotechnology
Nov 10, 2016
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When controlling mosquitoes that spread malaria, gene drives, which force genetic changes to proliferate in a population, are faster and more efficient than simply releasing mosquitoes that are immune to the parasite, according ...
Biotechnology
Dec 19, 2019
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In parallel with their development of the first synthetic gene drives - which greatly increase the chance a specific gene will be passed on to all offspring - George Church, Ph.D., and Kevin Esvelt, Ph.D., helped pioneer ...
Biotechnology
Nov 16, 2015
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So, you've genetically engineered a malaria-resistant mosquito, now what? How many mosquitos would you need to replace the disease-carrying wild type? What is the most effective distribution pattern? How could you stop a ...
Biotechnology
Aug 1, 2017
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It can be hard to dispute the common adage 'survival of the fittest.' After all, "most of the genes in the genome are there because they're doing something good," says Sarah Zanders, Ph.D., assistant investigator at the Stowers ...
Evolution
Aug 17, 2020
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