Teach Me in 10 – Gene Drive Research With Dr Jennifer Baltzegar
In this week's installment of Teach Me in 10, we are joined by Dr Jennifer Baltzegar, a population geneticist with international interdisciplinary research experience currently working as a postdoctoral research fellow at North Carolina State University.
Dr Baltzegar talks us through a topical area of research – gene drives. A gene drive is a selfish genetic construct that spreads rapidly through a population and can be used to reduce the environmental impact of pests. You might have heard about gene drives in the media lately as there are many discussions taking place as to how this research can be taken from the laboratory and implemented into society ethically.
Dr Baltzegar teaches us about how the maturation of genetic engineering approaches has advanced gene drives, the two different strategies for gene drives and some of the key questions surrounding the application of gene drives in society, such as in synthetic biology.
Check out Dr Baltzegar's website to learn more about her research interests and latest publications. She is also featured in the 500 Women Scientists' Request A Woman in STEMM platform.
For more installments of Teach Me in 10, check out our hub page which features the full collection of videos.
