Gene Drives in Agriculture: Risk Assessment and Research Prioritization

The workshop featured panelist experts in multiple disciplines specializing in gene drives, risk assessment, policy, and agricultural pests. By use of presentations and breakout sessions, many ideas were presented regarding the risk assessment and risk governance of gene drives in agriculture. This workshop report does not represent the opinion of all the participants in the workshop but serves as a bridge to cover multiple perspectives from interdisciplinary efforts. This report is structured as:

• An overview of the workshop
• Background on gene drive and potential applications
• Drosophila suzukii case study
• Risk assessment for gene drive
• Regulatory framework for biotechnology and gene drive in the U.S.
• Potential risks (as identified by workshop participants)
• Data needs (as identified by workshop participants)