Gene drive organisms.

Recent advances in biotechnology aim at the genetic modification of wild living populations. Some potential applications consider self-propagating genetic elements to generate gene drive organisms (GDOs), i.e. for nature conservation. Due to the potential of GDOs to spread spatially and temporally unlimited, impacts on the environment and ecosystems may be irreversible and are difficult to predict. This technical report summarizes the status of gene drive applications currently discussed in the scientific literature. It outlines their potential implications for the environment and nature conservation and highlights challenges with respect to the environmental risk assessment and post-release monitoring of GDOs, in particular in a context of high complexity and uncertainty.

近年来生物技术领域的前沿进展，聚焦于野生种群的基因改造。部分潜在应用借助自我增殖型遗传元件构建基因驱动生物体（gene drive organisms, GDOs），例如用于自然保护。由于基因驱动生物体具备不受时空限制扩散的潜力，其对环境与生态系统造成的影响可能不可逆且难以预测。本技术报告梳理了当前科学文献中讨论的各类基因驱动应用的研究现状，阐述了其对环境与自然保护的潜在影响，并着重指出了基因驱动生物体的环境风险评估及释放后监测所面临的挑战，尤其是在高度复杂且充满不确定性的场景下。