By Dr Brinda Dass, Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH)

After three years of pandemic-imposed absence, the 16th ISBR Symposium took place last week in St Louis, Missouri, from April 30 to May 4. The International Society for Biosafety Research (ISBR) has been organizing international symposia to foster dialogue related to the biosafety of bioengineered organisms since 1990. This year’s meeting consisted of a series of sessions and workshops developed around the theme “Advancing science in support of sustainable bio-innovation” and gathered delegates from more than 45 countries.

As a Scientific Program Manager at the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), currently leading the policy work regarding gene drive research for the GeneConvene Global Collaborative, I attended the meeting last week and participated in a parallel session organized by the Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research. The session centered on new developments in policy and governance of gene drive technologies and their implications for gene drive research.