ISAAA Releases Monthly Updates on Gene Drive
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ISAAA, in collaboration with the Outreach Network on Gene Drive Research, has released the first issue of Gene Drive Supplement, a monthly update on gene drive research and development. The Supplement provides additional valuable content to the Crop Biotech Update (CBU), a newsletter on biosciences produced by ISAAA Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology. The CBU is distributed for free to over 23,000 subscribers worldwide.
Gene drive is one of the emerging tools of genetic engineering. Through this system, genes are altered to bypass the usual rules of heredity. It dramatically increases the chance for a set of genes to be passed onto the next generation, giving way for the rapid spread of the trait in a population and overruling natural selection. Gene drive is one of the techniques being studied to eradicate vector-borne diseases and prevent proliferation of invasive alien species.
ISAAA and Outreach Network Gene Drive Research aim to raise public awareness on gene drives through knowledge sharing engagements. In 2021, a series of webinars were conducted to tackle the relevant concepts and issues surrounding the technology. The four-part webinar series reached a total of 23,860 individuals on multiple learning platforms. The high number of attendees and positive feedback received from the participants motivated ISAAA to continue sharing updates on the technology. Thus, the Gene Drive Supplement has been included in the CBU. The Supplement will be released together with the last issue of the CBU every month.
To further facilitate engagements on the topic, another series of webinars will be conducted featuring experts on the different types of gene drives, risk assessment, and socio-economic implications. Publications on gene drive are also being developed.
With the multiple efforts to promote discourses on gene drive, it is expected that science-based information on gene drive will be helpful to those who need to make informed decisions about their acceptance and use in the future.
Get the Gene Drive Supplement delivered right to your inbox every month. Subscribe now to the Crop Biotech Update.
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