Gene drive

A genetic system that biases inheritance, allowing a genetic variant to spread through a population faster than ordinary Mendelian inheritance predicts.

Mendelian inheritance: The inheritance pattern in which alleles at a genetic locus typically have an equal chance of entering each gamete. Gene drives depart from this baseline by favoring transmission of one allele.
Population suppression: A strategy that reduces the abundance or reproductive capacity of a target population. Some drives are designed to spread traits that lower population size or fertility.
Genetic biocontrol: The use of genetic methods to reduce or alter populations of organisms that cause harm. Gene drives are one form of genetic biocontrol, distinguished by biased inheritance.
Ecological risk assessment: The systematic evaluation of potential effects of an activity or organism on ecosystems and their components. Drive releases require attention to indirect effects, spread, reversibility, and ecosystem interactions.
Gene-drive resistance: The evolution of genetic variants that prevent a gene drive from cutting, copying, or otherwise spreading effectively. Resistance can undermine efficacy and alter the long-term trajectory of a proposed drive.
Homing endonuclease: An enzyme that cuts a specific DNA sequence, enabling copying of its own coding sequence into the cut site. Homing drives use these enzymes to convert the unmodified chromosome into a drive-bearing one.
Population replacement: A strategy that increases the prevalence of a desired trait in a population without necessarily reducing its size. A drive could spread a trait that makes mosquitoes less able to transmit pathogens.
Sterile insect technique: A pest-control method that releases sterilized insects to reduce reproduction in a target population. Unlike a drive, it requires repeated releases and does not make a heritable genetic element spread.
Biosafety: Practices and policies that prevent unintended exposure to or release of biological agents and modified organisms. Laboratory containment and staged testing address risks of accidental drive release.
Reversal drive: A proposed gene-drive system intended to overwrite or counteract the effects of an earlier drive. Its practical ability to reverse a released drive remains uncertain and may be incomplete.

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