Darpa has become the world’s largest funder of gene drive research, amid military worries that the steep fall in cost of gene-editing increases the risk of rogue experimentation with bioweapons.
US military agency invests $100m in genetic extinction technologies
A US military agency is investing $100m in genetic extinction technologies that could wipe out malarial mosquitoes, invasive rodents or other species, emails released under freedom of information rules show. The documents suggest that the US’s secretive Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) has become the world’s largest funder of “gene drive” researchand will raise tensions ahead of a UN expert committee meeting in Montreal beginning on Tuesday.
