Also: CRISPR-Cas9, gene drive
CRISPR-Cas9 is a programmable gene editor. Gene drives use it to spread a trait through wild populations, such as malaria mosquitoes.
Readiness: lab lab studies · prototype demonstrated objects · commercial products or buildings in real use · review summaries of other studies.
Jinek and colleagues showed Cas9 can be programmed with RNA to cut chosen DNA, work honored with the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
As reported in: Jinek, Chylinski, Fonfara et al. (2012). A Programmable Dual-RNA–Guided DNA Endonuclease in Adaptive Bacterial Immunity. Science. doi:10.1126/science.1225829
Esvelt and colleagues discussed using CRISPR gene drives to change wild populations, and safeguards.
As reported in: Esvelt, Smidler, Catteruccia et al. (2014). Concerning RNA-guided gene drives for the alteration of wild populations. eLife. doi:10.7554/eLife.03401
Gantz and colleagues built an efficient Cas9 gene drive in Anopheles stephensi.
As reported in: Gantz, Jasinskiene, Tatarenkova et al. (2015). Highly efficient Cas9-mediated gene drive for population modification of the malaria vector mosquito <i>Anopheles stephensi</i>. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi:10.1073/pnas.1521077112
Hammond and colleagues built a gene drive targeting female fertility in Anopheles gambiae.
As reported in: Hammond, Galizi, Kyrou et al. (2016). A CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive system targeting female reproduction in the malaria mosquito vector Anopheles gambiae. Nature Biotechnology. doi:10.1038/nbt.3439
Kyrou and colleagues showed a doublesex gene drive fully suppressed caged mosquito populations.
As reported in: Kyrou, Hammond, Galizi et al. (2018). A CRISPR–Cas9 gene drive targeting doublesex causes complete population suppression in caged Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes. Nature Biotechnology. doi:10.1038/nbt.4245