Can CRISPR-Based Gene Drive Be Confined in the Wild? A Question for Molecular and Population Biology.

The recent discovery of CRISPR and its application as a gene editing tool has enabled a range of gene drive systems to be engineered with greater ease. In order for the benefits of this technology to be realized, in some circumstances drive systems should be developed that are capable of both spreading into populations to achieve their desired impact and being recalled in the event of unwanted consequences or public disfavor. We review the performance of three broad categories of drive systems at achieving these goals: threshold-dependent drives, homing-based drive and remediation systems, and temporally self-limiting systems such as daisy-chain drives.