Results from NEPAD’s workshops on gene dive problem formulation are now available

The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) published the results of their workshops on the perception of gene drive technology for malaria control in Africa, carried out from 2016 to 2018. These events brought together scientists, ethicists, health professionals, government regulators in the fields of environmental health and biosafety and government policymakers to deliberate on malaria reduction goals and pathways to the use of gene drive to that end.

According to NEPAD, the meetings are only the first step in a long-term process that is intended to inform environmental risk assessment for gene drive mosquitoes to control malaria in Africa. The objective was to initiate discussions on the topic and identify issues related to gene drive mosquitoes that are relevant to African stakeholders and should be considered by researchers. Participants showed particular concern over the potential human health and biodiversity impact during the research and eventual implementation of the technology.

These and other findings are available in the full-study “Problem formulation for gene drive mosquitoes designed to reduce malaria transmission in Africa: results from four regional consultations 2016–2018“, available at BMC Malaria Journal.