Exploring Stakeholder Perspectives on the Development of a Gene Drive Mouse for Biodiversity Protection on Islands

Gene Drive Mice for Biodiversity Protection

June 24, 2019 | Patti Mulligan

Project Background Mice offer an ideal genetic model for exploring the possibility of developing a synthetic gene drive in mammals. As pests, they pose challenges to human health (through disease transmission), agricultural yields and storage,...

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Katie Barnhill-Dilling & Dalton George – Responsible Research & Innovation in Action: Tales from the Front Lines

August 21, 2018 | Patti Mulligan

11/20 Colloquium - Dr. Katie Barnhill-Dilling and Dalton George | Responsible research and innovation (RRI) is an increasingly applied normative framework for the governance of emerging technologies. However, meaningful implementation of RRI principles can be challenging, particularly with respect to upstream stakeholder and community engagement. The Safe Genes NCSU project, "Restoring Ecosystems and Biodiversity through Development of Safe and Effective Gene Drive Technologies," has been designed with RRI in mind. ...

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GES Colloquium WordCloud

Gene Drives and Responsible Innovation

December 8, 2017 | Patti Mulligan

It is not often that a new technology is at once hailed as a potential solution to pandemic disease, wildlife conservation and hunger, while also being feared as a potential military and environmental “bioweapon.” Gene drives,...

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In the ongoing controversy over whether and how to use a powerful new genome editing technology in the wild to achieve conservation and public health goals, two new papers urge caution.

Jason Delborne addresses CRISPR gene drives controversy in NYTimes, Quanta, and Gizmodo

November 17, 2017 | Patti Mulligan

GES Faculty member Jason Delborne addresses two controversial new papers in several articles published this week on the safety of field testing CRISPR gene drives in the wild. With links to articles in New York Times, Quanta, Gizmodo and The Atlantic....

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Marine iguanas of the Galápagos are vulnerable to feral cats and other invasive predators. Credit: Tui de Roy, Scientific American

Scientific American: Could Genetic Engineering Save the Galápagos?

November 7, 2017 | Patti Mulligan

Campbell first became intrigued by the possibilities of gene drive in 2011, when he sat in on a conference call between biologists at NC State University and officials of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to discuss a possible genetic approach to control a runaway mouse problem on Southeast Farallon Island, about 20 miles west of the California coast, near San Francisco. John Godwin, a North Carolina State neurobiologist who studies animal behavior, had learned of the Farallon issue while skimming the Internet in 2011. He happened to be at a university with an established infrastructure dedicated to experimenting with—and considering the ethical implications of—genetic manipulation....

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Giant petrel with young in the nest

NC State Receives DARPA Funding to Develop, Test Gene Drive System

August 4, 2017 |

For Immediate Release August 3, 2017 John Godwin  |  919.513.2936 North Carolina State University researchers have received funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and test a system that would reduce populations of...

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Read 'DARPA’s Synthetic Biology Initiatives Could Militarize the Environment' in Slate

Todd Kuiken publishes Slate article discussing concerns with DARPA’s SynBio Initiatives

May 3, 2017 | Patti Mulligan

GES Research Scholar Dr. Todd Kuiken has concerns about DARPA, who’s investments are “bending the entire field of synthetic biology towards military applications.” Will DARPA’s initiatives lead to the militarization of the natural environment?...

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