iGEM and Gene Drives: A Case Study for Governance
Name
hs.2021.0157.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
682.9 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
51ba98172952a9b85c0ed07a3f84a1da
Author(s)
Millett, Piers
Alexanian, Tessa
Palmer, Megan J
Evans, Sam Weiss
Kuiken, Todd
Oye, Kenneth
Date Issued
2022
Journal
Health Security
Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert Inc
Citation
Millett, Piers, Alexanian, Tessa, Palmer, Megan J, Evans, Sam Weiss, Kuiken, Todd et al. 2022. "iGEM and Gene Drives: A Case Study for Governance." Health Security, 20 (1).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Gene drives have already challenged governance systems. In this case study, we explore the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition's experiences in gene drive-related research and lessons in developing, revising, and implementing a governance system. iGEM's experiences and lessons are distilled into 6 key insights for future gene drive policy development in the United States: (1) gene drives deserve special attention because of their potential for widescale impact and remaining uncertainty about how to evaluate intergenerational and transboundary risks; (2) an adaptive risk management approach is logical for gene drives because of the rapidly changing technical environment; (3) review by individual technical experts is limited and may fail to incorporate other forms of expertise and, therefore, must be complemented with a range of alternative governance methods; (4) current laboratory biosafety and biosecurity review processes may not capture gene drive research or its components in practice even if they are covered theoretically; (5) risk management for research and development must incorporate discussions of values and broader implications of the work; and (6) a regular technology horizon scanning capacity is needed for the early identification of advances that could pose governance system challenges.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Political Science
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1089/HS.2021.0157
