Scientific American article on public acceptance of CRISPR features Delborne and Kuzma
“Without transparency, we might see a kind of hyperpolarization,” says Jason Delborne, a professor of science, policy and society at North Carolina State University. Concerned groups will feel marginalized, and advocates won't receive critical feedback needed to improve design and safety. “This puts the technology at risk of a knee-jerk moratorium at the first sign of difficulty,” he notes....
Upgrading Biosafety and Biosecurity: Open Philanthropy awards $700K for DIYbio
“For the last six years, Todd and I have been exploring the best ways to ensure the healthy growth of community labs as safe and secure resources for public education and biotech innovation,” says Grushkin. “This grant will help us codify best practices in these often unconventional spaces.”...Continue reading "Upgrading Biosafety and Biosecurity: Open Philanthropy awards $700K for DIYbio"
Kuzma examines benefits, regulation of gene edited crops in EMBO
In this article, published by EMBOpress, researchers look at how new genetic-engineering (GE) technologies based on gene editing can help to generate crop varieties to address critical challenges in agricultural development. However, governance systems for these crops are poorly defined and currently uncertain....Continue reading "Kuzma examines benefits, regulation of gene edited crops in EMBO"
GES IGERT Students Research Deployment of Gene Drive Insects
A new paper from GES IGERT students, to be published by the Journal for Responsible Innovation, is now available online. Anticipating complexity in the deployment of gene drive insects in agriculture Jennifer Baltzegar, Jessica Cavin Barnes, Johanna E. Elsensohn, Nicole Gutzmann, Michael...Continue reading "GES IGERT Students Research Deployment of Gene Drive Insects"
NC State Receives DARPA Funding to Develop, Test Gene Drive System
For Immediate Release August 3, 2017 John Godwin | 919.513.2936 North Carolina State University researchers have received funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and test a system that would reduce populations of...Continue reading "NC State Receives DARPA Funding to Develop, Test Gene Drive System"
NC State Receives DARPA Funding to Develop, Test Gene Drive System
Developing and testing a gene drive system to reduce invasive mouse populations is the focus of a DARPA-funded research project....Continue reading "NC State Receives DARPA Funding to Develop, Test Gene Drive System"
CALS, Premex Build Synergistic Relationship
An NC State partnership with international animal nutrition company extends beyond workforce development to research sponsorship and philanthropy....Continue reading "CALS, Premex Build Synergistic Relationship"
GES Co-Directors Gould and Kuzma Quoted in Audubon Story on Using Gene Drives to Save Island Birds
A new story in Audubon Magazine, How Genetically Modified Mice Could One Day Save Island Birds, features quotes from GES Co-Directors Dr. Fred Gould and Dr. Jennifer Kuzma. The article tells the story of how Dr. John Godwin, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, and Ph.D. student Megan Serr became part of GBIRd (Genetic Biocontrol of Invasive Rodents), a global partnership working to save island birds from extinction by using the cutting-edge (and controversial) CRISPR and gene drive technologies to eradicate invasive species of mice....
Sophia Webster
Graduate student Sophia Webster is trying to fight Zika by engineering mosquitoes that won’t spread the disease....
Overcoming Challenges to Infusing Ethics into the Development of Engineers: Proceedings of a Workshop (2017)
While all technologies have societal and ethical implications, emerging technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence and genetic engineering) often pose unique ethical challenges. As advances are made in the fields of engineering, it is vital that issues...
Synthetic Microorganisms for Agricultural Use
By 2050, the world’s population is estimated to exceed 9 billion people. A challenge to this rising food demand is that crops will have to be grown on the same or less land as today. Additionally, global climate change is causing considerable uncertainty in the ability of the current food production system to adapt to an unknown future. To address these issues sustainably, scientists from many disciplines have been investigating ways to increase crop yields and prepare for a changing climate. Considerable effort has focused on enhancing the traits of the crop plants themselves, to enhance their growth, make them resistant to disease, or tolerant to environmental stressors like drought or high salinity conditions. Conversely, a growing area of research is looking at how microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, influence these plant characteristics....Continue reading "Synthetic Microorganisms for Agricultural Use"
Variation at a Central Metabolic Gene Influences Male Fruit Fly Lifespan
Why do females outlive males? For fruit flies, the answer can be found in the expression of an important metabolism gene....Continue reading "Variation at a Central Metabolic Gene Influences Male Fruit Fly Lifespan"
Leadership in Public Science: Meet Jean Goodwin
Leadership in Public Science cluster member Jean Goodwin studies how scientists and the public communicate with each other....Continue reading "Leadership in Public Science: Meet Jean Goodwin"
Todd Kuiken in BioCoder: Citizen Health Innovators
They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Many would argue that their greatest necessity is health. So what happens when treatments are ineffective or unavailable? Today, in the age of crowdfunding, some people are taking matters into their own hands and developing their own treatments, including surgical techniques, gene therapies and molecular therapies. GES Senior Research Scholar Dr. Todd Kuiken, together with international science policy expert Eleonore Pauwels, of The Wilson Center, explores the risks, regulatory issues, and implications of the emerging DIY, "patient-powered" health research movement in the Spring 2017 issue of BioCoder....Continue reading "Todd Kuiken in BioCoder: Citizen Health Innovators"
