Gene Drives on the Horizon Advancing Science, Navigating Uncertainty, and Aligning Research with Public Values (2016) / Chapter Skim
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7 Engaging Communities, Stakeholders, and Publics
7 Engaging Communities, Stakeholders, and Publics
Pages 131-146
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From page 131... ...
This chapter focuses on challenges related to engagement and offers evidence-based frameworks for researchers, biotech companies, and policy makers to use to engage with public audiences about the science, ethics, and governance of gene drive research and its potential applications. We draw evidence from theoretical and empirical work in social science disciplines, including science communication, public relations, political science, psychology, sociology, and science, technology, and society, as well as the experiences of practitioners in public health to outline best practices for engagement across the diversity of potential gene drive applications and contexts.
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From page 132... ...
FFirst, commun nities and sta akeholders have knowledge that is essential to understand t l ding the compl and variab social, lex ble political, econom and ecolog mic, gical contexts in which gene drives will oper n d rate. Second, p principles of justice deman both transpa nd arency in and well-informed consent to any future (experimental)
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From page 133... ...
Such stories are common in the arenas of international public health and development, suggesting that gene drive technologies designed for similar purposes and contexts could be subject to the same pitfalls. In addition, the need for ongoing monitoring for the longterm success of gene drives dictates the importance of creating partnerships with local community members -- who not only might conduct the monitoring but also might suggest ways to adapt standard monitoring protocols to local conditions (Lavery et al., 2010; McNaughton, 2012)
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, but are often insufficient to achieve procedural justice. Where such laws are not in place, which may be a common context for field trials of gene drives in low-income countries, decision making processes may need to be developed to fit the political and cultural context -- a lack of regulatory requirements demanding engagement does not relieve developers and scientists from the ethical obligation to engage public audiences.
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From page 135... ...
At present, gene drive research occurs unevenly across social and geographic landscapes, with important decisions to be made regarding which human and ecological communities may experience the first field trials of gene drive technologies. For the foreseeable future, gene drives are envisioned to be developed predominantly in countries that already conduct gene-editing research and related product development.
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From page 136... ...
Public engagement offers researchers, funders, and govern mental officials the opportunity to convey intelligible information about gene drive research, shape public perceptions regarding its credibility, and be transparent about experts' political, financial, institu tional or other affiliations and conflicts that may affect public confidence in their integrity and dependa bility. Furthermore, engagement that embodies bi-directional exchange of information and perspectives can enhance trust by emphasizing the potential for fair and just consideration of multiple points of view.
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Do stakeholders change with the phase of gene drive development and de ployment? Do gene-drive modified organisms that are meant to spread geographically implicate ever more numerous communities?
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. Research into effective community engagement strategies for the introduction of new technologies is promising, but a universal method that can be applied to the area of gene drives, or any other emerging technologies is unlikely (Guston, 1999; Kleinman et al., 2007; Nisbet et al., 2009; Philbrick and Barandiaran, 2009; Sclove et al., 2010b; Rask et al., 2012; Rask and Worthington, 2015; Tomblin et al., 2015)
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. Similar tools could be applied to engagement processes in research with gene drives.
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Although this framework was developed to guide scientists in the design of engagement activities about chemistry, it is broadly applicable to other engagement contexts and areas of science and technology, including gene drives. BOX 7-3 Example of an Evidence-Based Framework to Guide Science Communicationa (NASEM, 2016)
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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The committee did not attempt to prescribe a single method of engagement for gene drive applications, but rather, aimed to provide considerations for responsible practices through the following conclusions and recommendations. Engagement with communities, stakeholders, and publics is an essential part of research on and development of emerging technologies, including gene drives.
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From page 142... ...
Short-term or online training of scientists is unlikely to build sufficient capacity to design and implement engagement activities without drawing upon additional expertise -- especially because each engagement effort must be tailored to a specific context and purpose. Strategies will be needed to study, develop, and foster meaningful community engagement for specific research endeavors, as well as broader public engagement about the overall goals and consequences of gene drive technologies.
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Recommendation 7-7: Researchers, research institutions, and other organizers should ex plore ways to diversify engagement activities in order to include different voices at differ ent times, especially given the intention for some gene-drive modified organisms to spread over time and across significant distances. Early in the development process, organizers should identify critical groups and time-points for interaction; as the research unfolds, these decisions should be revisited to ensure engagement activities remain appropriate and such related decisions should be revisited as the research unfolds.
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1998. Danish consensus conferences as a model of participatory technology assessment: An impact study of consensus conferences on Danish parliament and Danish public debate.
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2005. A typology of public engagement mechanisms.
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2015. Gene Drives Offer New Hope Against Diseases and Crop Pests.
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