Stakeholder engagement in the development of genetically modified mosquitoes for malaria control in West Africa: lessons learned from 10 years of Target Malaria's work in Mali

From 2012 to 2023, the Malaria Research and Training Center (MRTC), based out of the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB), was part of the Target Malaria research consortium working towards developing novel gene drive-based tools for controlling populations of malaria vector mosquitoes. As part of this work, Target Malaria Mali has undertaken a range of in-depth engagement activities with the communities where their research is conducted and with other stakeholders nationally. These activities were meant to ensure that the project's activities took place with the agreement of those communities, and that those communities were able to play a role in shaping the project's approach to ensure that its eventual outcomes were in line with their needs and concerns. This paper aims to conduct a critical assessment of those 10 years of stakeholder engagement in order to identify good practices which can inform future engagement work on gene drive research in West Africa. It sets out a range of approaches and practices that enabled the Target Malaria Mali team to engage a variety of stakeholders, to share information, collect feedback, and determine community agreement, in a manner that was inclusive, effective, and culturally appropriate. These can be useful tools for those working on gene drive research and other area-wide vector control methods in West African contexts to ensure that their research is aligned with the interests of the communities who are intended to be its ultimate beneficiaries, and to allow those communities to play a meaningful role in the research process.

Ethical aspects of GMO regulation in the EU: Regulating new plant breeding techniques as GM has negative effects on sustainability, diversity and inclusion: Regulating new plant breeding techniques as GM has negative effects on sustainability, diversity and inclusion

Plant breeding plays a crucial role for the EU to live up to its values and promises of sustainability, innovation and diversity and inclusion. The current regulations, however, make it de facto impossible to use new breeding technologies.

Providing a policy framework for responsible gene drive research: an analysis of the existing governance landscape and priority areas for further research

The progress in gene drive research has made the possibility of a future release in the environment probable. This prospect is raising new questions related to the adequacy of the policy frameworks in place to manage and regulate the research and its outcomes responsibly. A number of international mechanisms are exploring how to evaluate this technology. Amongst them, the Convention of Biological Diversity and the Cartagena Protocol, the review mechanisms of the World Health Organisation, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature are offering international fora for dialogue, while regional entities, such as the African Union, are developing specific frameworks to build their preparedness for oversight of gene drive organisms. In this manuscript, we review the existing regulatory landscape around gene drive research and map areas of convergence and divergence, as well as gaps in relation to guidelines for community engagement in gene drive research.