Accessibility statement

What are the concerns of gene editing technology?

  • Nuclease-based systems designed for gene editing can, in some configurations, comprise synthetic selfish DNA elements, or ‘gene drive’ systems, which can spread through a population without having to confer a fitness benefit to individual carriers
  • For example, the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing method has been used to create endonuclease-based gene drive systems that spread rapidly in insect populations.   Such systems have important applications for addressing global problems in public health, sustainable agriculture and environmental management
  • The possibility of generating gene drive systems that can easily spread throughout a population needs to be carefully considered as part of the risk assessment process for such activities.