Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35020492›Full record

ArticleHealth security

iGEM and Gene Drives: A Case Study for Governance.

Piers Millett, Tessa Alexanian, Megan J Palmer, Sam Weiss Evans, Todd Kuiken, Kenneth Oye

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Health security. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Design biology and mind-body health.Journal, genetic engineering & biotechnology · 2025
    Review
  2. Is Gene Drive Research Losing Traction?The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Piers MillettPiers Millett, PhD, is Vice President for Safety and Security and Tessa Alexanian is a Safety and Security Program Officer; both at iGEM Foundation, Cambridge, MA. Megan J. Palmer, PhD, is a Bio Policy and Leadership Initiatives and Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Sam Weiss Evans, DPhil, is a Senior Research Fellow, Program on Science, Technology, and Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Todd Kuiken, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Kenneth Oye, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.
Tessa AlexanianPiers Millett, PhD, is Vice President for Safety and Security and Tessa Alexanian is a Safety and Security Program Officer; both at iGEM Foundation, Cambridge, MA. Megan J. Palmer, PhD, is a Bio Policy and Leadership Initiatives and Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Sam Weiss Evans, DPhil, is a Senior Research Fellow, Program on Science, Technology, and Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Todd Kuiken, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Kenneth Oye, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.
Megan J PalmerPiers Millett, PhD, is Vice President for Safety and Security and Tessa Alexanian is a Safety and Security Program Officer; both at iGEM Foundation, Cambridge, MA. Megan J. Palmer, PhD, is a Bio Policy and Leadership Initiatives and Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Sam Weiss Evans, DPhil, is a Senior Research Fellow, Program on Science, Technology, and Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Todd Kuiken, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Kenneth Oye, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.
Sam Weiss EvansPiers Millett, PhD, is Vice President for Safety and Security and Tessa Alexanian is a Safety and Security Program Officer; both at iGEM Foundation, Cambridge, MA. Megan J. Palmer, PhD, is a Bio Policy and Leadership Initiatives and Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Sam Weiss Evans, DPhil, is a Senior Research Fellow, Program on Science, Technology, and Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Todd Kuiken, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Kenneth Oye, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.
Todd KuikenPiers Millett, PhD, is Vice President for Safety and Security and Tessa Alexanian is a Safety and Security Program Officer; both at iGEM Foundation, Cambridge, MA. Megan J. Palmer, PhD, is a Bio Policy and Leadership Initiatives and Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Sam Weiss Evans, DPhil, is a Senior Research Fellow, Program on Science, Technology, and Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Todd Kuiken, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Kenneth Oye, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.
Kenneth OyePiers Millett, PhD, is Vice President for Safety and Security and Tessa Alexanian is a Safety and Security Program Officer; both at iGEM Foundation, Cambridge, MA. Megan J. Palmer, PhD, is a Bio Policy and Leadership Initiatives and Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Sam Weiss Evans, DPhil, is a Senior Research Fellow, Program on Science, Technology, and Society, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Todd Kuiken, PhD, is a Senior Research Scholar, Genetic Engineering and Society Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Kenneth Oye, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

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.

Indexed as

Gene Drive TechnologyGenetic EngineeringHumansRisk AssessmentRisk ManagementUncertaintyUnited StatesAdaptive governanceAdaptive risk managementGene drivesGovernanceiGEMRisk management

Identifiers

PMID35020492
PMCPMC8892970

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.