{"title":"Is Gene Drive Research Losing Traction?","authors":"Gregory C Lanzaro, Ana M Kormos","doi":"10.4269/ajtmh.25-0242","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Significant progress has been made in developing gene drives, especially for mosquito vectors of malaria. It is widely agreed that a critical next step in advancing this technology is to evaluate it through small-scale field trials. However, obtaining permission to move forward with these trials has stalled, threatening this potentially transformative line of research. In this paper, roadblocks delaying progress are identified from the perspective of a developer group tasked with translating this technology to the field. We suggest that groups engaged in long-running discussions about risk and the formulation of a global regulatory framework are hindering progress. This is because these groups conflate large-scale deployment with small-scale trials, which have very different risk landscapes. Here we argue that confined field trials are essential for accurately assessing risk and should be conducted soon, with regulation by authorities in the country in which they will be conducted.</p>","PeriodicalId":7752,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","volume":" ","pages":"728-730"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12493257/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.25-0242","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/10/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"Print","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Significant progress has been made in developing gene drives, especially for mosquito vectors of malaria. It is widely agreed that a critical next step in advancing this technology is to evaluate it through small-scale field trials. However, obtaining permission to move forward with these trials has stalled, threatening this potentially transformative line of research. In this paper, roadblocks delaying progress are identified from the perspective of a developer group tasked with translating this technology to the field. We suggest that groups engaged in long-running discussions about risk and the formulation of a global regulatory framework are hindering progress. This is because these groups conflate large-scale deployment with small-scale trials, which have very different risk landscapes. Here we argue that confined field trials are essential for accurately assessing risk and should be conducted soon, with regulation by authorities in the country in which they will be conducted.
期刊介绍：
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, established in 1921, is published monthly by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. It is among the top-ranked tropical medicine journals in the world publishing original scientific articles and the latest science covering new research with an emphasis on population, clinical and laboratory science and the application of technology in the fields of tropical medicine, parasitology, immunology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, basic and molecular biology, virology and international medicine.
The Journal publishes unsolicited peer-reviewed manuscripts, review articles, short reports, images in Clinical Tropical Medicine, case studies, reports on the efficacy of new drugs and methods of treatment, prevention and control methodologies,new testing methods and equipment, book reports and Letters to the Editor. Topics range from applied epidemiology in such relevant areas as AIDS to the molecular biology of vaccine development.
The Journal is of interest to epidemiologists, parasitologists, virologists, clinicians, entomologists and public health officials who are concerned with health issues of the tropics, developing nations and emerging infectious diseases. Major granting institutions including philanthropic and governmental institutions active in the public health field, and medical and scientific libraries throughout the world purchase the Journal.
Two or more supplements to the Journal on topics of special interest are published annually. These supplements represent comprehensive and multidisciplinary discussions of issues of concern to tropical disease specialists and health issues of developing countries
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