Is Gene Drive Research Losing Traction?

Abstract

Significant progress has been made in developing gene drives, especially for mosquito vectors of malaria. It is widely agreed that a critical next step in advancing this technology is to evaluate it through small-scale field trials. However, obtaining permission to move forward with these trials has stalled, threatening this potentially transformative line of research. In this paper, roadblocks delaying progress are identified from the perspective of a developer group tasked with translating this technology to the field. We suggest that groups engaged in long-running discussions about risk and the formulation of a global regulatory framework are hindering progress. This is because these groups conflate large-scale deployment with small-scale trials, which have very different risk landscapes. Here we argue that confined field trials are essential for accurately assessing risk and should be conducted soon, with regulation by authorities in the country in which they will be conducted.