Gene Editing Of Organisms To Prevent Disease, Ecosystem Damage Promising But Must Be Approached With Caution, National Academies Report Says

New York Times: Species-wide Gene Editing, Applauded and Feared, Gets a Push
“A revolutionary technology known as ‘gene drive,’ which for the first time gives humans the power to alter or perhaps eliminate entire populations of organisms in the wild, has stirred both excitement and fear since scientists proposed a means to construct it two years ago. Scientists dream of deploying gene drive, for example, to wipe out malaria-carrying mosquitoes that cause the deaths of 300,000 African children each year, or invasive rodents that damage island ecosystems…” (Harmon, 6/8).

NPR: New Genetic Engineering Method Called Promising — And Perilous
“…[A] report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine concludes that it’s far too soon to release any organisms altered with the technique, known as a gene drive, into the environment. Even so, scientists should continue conducting experiments using this approach inside laboratories, the report urges. And the panel endorsed the possibility of conducting very controlled studies of creatures altered with a gene drive outside laboratories…” (Stein, 6/8).

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