The potential implications of gene drives demand a thoughtful response. The conversation should not be dominated by alarmist rhetoric and doomsday scenarios. With every new discovery comes the potential for help and harm. Scientists, aware of this, no longer go blindly forward without considering the bigger picture. For example, this excerpt from a longer article on "gene drives" which was published in July of last year

Quoted material for review purposes only:

The decision of whether or not to utilize a gene drive for a given purpose should be based entirely on the probable benefits and risks of that specific drive. That is, each drive should be judged solely by its potential outcomes, such as its ability to accomplish the intended aims, its probable effects on other species, the risk of spreading into closely related species by rare mating events, and impacts on ecosystems and human societies. As scientists developing these technologies, it will be our responsibility to make all empirical data and predictive models freely available to the public in a transparent and understandable format. Above all else, we must openly share our level of confidence in these assess¬ments as we determine how best to proceed.

The potentially widespread implications of RNA-guided gene drives demand a thoughtful and collected response. Numerous practical dif¬ficulties must be overcome before gene drives will be in a position to address any of the sug¬gested applications. Many of our proposals and predictions are likely to fall short simply because biological systems are complex and difficult to engineer. Even so, the current rate of scientific advancement related to Cas9 and the many outcomes accessible using the simplest of gene drives suggest that molecular biologists will soon be able to edit the genomes of wild popu¬lations, reverse or update those changes in response to field observations, and perhaps even engage in targeted population suppression. 

What criteria might we use to evaluate an RNA-guided gene drive intended to address a given problem? There are compelling argu¬ments in favor of eliminating insect-borne human diseases, developing and supporting more sus¬tainable agricultural models, and controlling environmentally damaging invasive species. At the same time, there are valid concerns regarding our ability to accurately predict the ecological and human consequences of these interven¬tions. By bringing these possibilities before the scientific community and the public prior to their realization in the laboratory, we hope to initiate transparent, inclusive, and well-informed dis¬cussions concerning the responsible evaluation and application of these nascent technologies.

Esvelt, K. M., Smidler, A. L., Catteruccia, F., & Church, G. M. (2014). Concerning RNA-guided gene drives for the alteration of wild populations.

http://elifesciences.org/content/elife/3/e03401.full.pdf

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