Confinement of gene drive systems to local populations: a comparative analysis.

ABSTRACT: Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever pose a major health problem through much of the world. One approach to disease prevention involves the use of selfish genetic elements to drive disease-refractory genes into wild mosquito populations. Recently engineered synthetic drive systems have provided encouragement for this strategy; but at the same time have been greeted with caution over the concern that transgenes may spread into countries and communities without their consent. Consequently, there is also interest in gene drive systems that, while strong enough to bring about local population replacement, are unable to establish themselves beyond a partially isolated release site, at least during the testing phase. Here, we develop simple deterministic and stochastic models

SUBMITTER: Marshall JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3260013 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature