George Church

Boston, Massachusetts, United States Contact Info
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Licenses & Certifications

Volunteer Experience

  • volunteer

    openhumans.org

    - Present 18 years 7 months

    Science and Technology

Publications

  • Concerning RNA-Guided Gene Drives for the Alteration of Wild Populations

    eLife

    Gene drives may be capable of addressing ecological problems by altering entire
    populations of wild organisms, but their use has remained largely theoretical due to technical
    constraints. Here we consider the potential for RNA-guided gene drives based on the CRISPR
    nuclease Cas9 to serve as a general method for spreading altered traits through wild populations
    over many generations. We detail likely capabilities, discuss limitations, and provide novel
    precautionary strategies to…

    Gene drives may be capable of addressing ecological problems by altering entire
    populations of wild organisms, but their use has remained largely theoretical due to technical
    constraints. Here we consider the potential for RNA-guided gene drives based on the CRISPR
    nuclease Cas9 to serve as a general method for spreading altered traits through wild populations
    over many generations. We detail likely capabilities, discuss limitations, and provide novel
    precautionary strategies to control the spread of gene drives and reverse genomic changes. The
    ability to edit populations of sexual species would offer substantial benefits to humanity and the
    environment. For example, RNA-guided gene drives could potentially prevent the spread of
    disease, support agriculture by reversing pesticide and herbicide resistance in insects and
    weeds, and control damaging invasive species. However, the possibility of unwanted ecological
    effects and near-certainty of spread across political borders demand careful assessment of each
    potential application. We call for thoughtful, inclusive, and well-informed public discussions to
    explore the responsible use of this currently theoretical technology.

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  • Regulating gene drives

    Science

    Provides a regulatory, environmental, and security risk analysis of gene drives.

    Other authors
    See publication

Languages

  • Spanish

    Elementary proficiency

  • Fortran

    Professional working proficiency

  • Python

    Professional working proficiency

  • Esperanto

    Elementary proficiency

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