Gene Drive Bibliography and Summary

Individual genes depicted in a basic DNA strand

There has been minute amount of experimenting with gene drives and few people know what they actually are. The gene drive itself is the process of changing the gene structure of an organism for beneficial purposes... in theory. As it can be easily imagined, this is super sketch. Below are some sources cited from my early research on gene drives, from a variety of perspectives, yet all have agreed that caution is key.



"Driving Test." Nature 524, no. 7563 (2015): 5. Accessed September 24, 2015. doi:10.1038/524005b.

In the opening of the editorial the author reiterates researchers claims that this cutting-edge genetic technique called a “gene drive” could lead to “unanticipated ecological consequences”. The author then goes on to give a short analysis of what gene drives are in a very brief paragraph. The perspective of esteemed researchers and also of the science community have discussed ways in how the gene drives shall be used. The conclusion of the editorial restates the caution advised to investors and researchers on the impact of this technique.


"Safeguarding Gene Drive Experiments in the Laboratory." Science AAAS349, no. 6251 (2015): 927-29. Accessed September 23, 2015. doi:10.1126/science.aac7932.
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/349/6251/927

The author states that gene drives have the potential to benefit science and contribute to health, yet with this great power of gene drives comes great responsibility. As spoken on in the Nature article, this article gives great depth into the cautions that should be taken and uses terminology that assumes you are familiar with this field. Specific confinement strategies are listed out with the constant reminder that basically anything can happen and could potentially harm our ecological system. At the very end this article applauds the steps taken thus far in addressing this new phenomenon.


Gurwitz, D. "Gene Drives Raise Dual-use Concerns." Science 345, no. 6200 (2014): 1010. Accessed September 24, 2015. doi:10.1126/science.345.6200.1010-b.
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6200/1010.2

The main concern raised by the author in this article is that gene drives might be regulated by organizations and nations however the technique could fall into the wrong hands. The example is offered that just how mosquitoes can be removed of diseases they can also be altered to spread dangerous bacteria. Obviously war is in the mind of this author when comparing the secretive blueprints of the atomic bomb with how the genes construction should be kept under lock. Overall he makes a plea to continue the caution mention in the other cited sources.


Oliver, Keith, and Greene Wayne. "Jumping Genes Drive Evolution." ProQuest. September 29, 2009. Accessed September 24, 2015.
http://search.proquest.com/docview/223694315?pq-origsite=summon

In a unique perspective on gene drives, this article ties the recent technique and links it to evolutionary effects. The article predominantly focuses on the “jumping gene” and how that explains rapids cases of evolution. Within this unique case of gene alteration, a species can evolve beneficially, which flips the previous notion that jumping genes were junk. Gene drives would essentially be able to create the same effect of jumping genes, yet it would be intentional rather than by accident.


Esvelt, K. M., A. L. Smidler, F. Catteruccia, and G. M. Church. "Concerning RNA-Guided Gene Drives for the Alteration of Wild Populations." ELife 3 (2014): 21. Accessed September 24, 2015. doi:10.7554/eLife.03401.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4117217/

In this very detailed article it summarizes the overall situation and the impacts of gene drives. More than the other articles, this one focuses on the benefits and the splendor of technology demonstrated with this breakthrough. Embedded within this article the author assesses the various types of gene drives to educate. The majority of this article is theorizing the possible outcomes of the recently discovered process using qualified knowledge by the authors.