Gene drive playground

This is an online simulation interface for different types of gene drive and other population genetics control strategies. (Still updating ...)

Simulation models are written in JavaScript. Plots are powered by Chart.js.

Female sterile homing drive

Panmictic discrete generation model

  • The homing drive targets a haplosufficient female fertility gene and convert it into the drive in germline cells. Females with no such functional fertility gene are sterile; otherwise they are fertile.
  • If drive conversion does not occur, the targetted wild-type allele may become nonfunctional (r2) or functional (r1) resistance alleles.
  • All individuals mate randomly and the number of their offspring is determined by density-dependent competition. Generations are not overlapping.
  • Fecundity: \(\displaystyle \omega' = \frac{\omega \beta}{\frac{N(\beta-1)}{K}+1}\), where \(\beta\) is the low-density growth rate, \(N\) is the current population size, \(K\) is the carrying capacity, and \(\omega\) is the genotype-based fitness of the female.
  • Number of eggs per female: \(n=50\); birth rate of each egg: \(p=\omega / 25\).
  • If a wild-type allele is not converted to a drive allele, then it has a probability equal to the "late r2 formation rate" to become r2.
  • If a wild-type allele is not converted to a drive allele or r2 allele in male germline cells, then it has a \(0.01\) probability to become r1. (This fixed value will be changable in the future)
  • The simulation is allowed to run \(100\) generations; transgenes are only released in the first generation.
  1. Champer, J., Kim, I. K., Champer, S. E., Clark, A. G., & Messer, P. W. (2021). Suppression gene drive in continuous space can result in unstable persistence of both drive and wild-type alleles. Molecular ecology, 30(4), 1086–1101. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15788

Drive-RIDL (RIDL-Drive Lethal Effectors)

Panmictic discrete generation model

  • A female-specific dominant lethal gene is integrated into a homing drive.
  • If drive conversion does not occur, the targetted wild-type allele may become a resistance allele.
  • All individuals mate randomly and the number of their offspring is determined by density-dependent competition. Generations are not overlapping.
  • Male drive homozygotes are released every generation.
  • Fecundity: \(\displaystyle \omega' = \frac{\omega \beta}{\frac{N_\text{f}(\beta-1)}{K/2}+1}\), where \(\beta\) is the low-density growth rate, \(N_\text{f}\) is the female population size, \(K\) is the carrying capacity, and \(\omega\) is the genotype-based fitness of the female. This indicates that only females contribute to the density-dependent competition, and female drive carriers will be counted in \(N_\text{f}\) representing they are involved in the competition.
  • Number of eggs per female: \(n=50\); birth rate of each egg: \(p=\omega / 25\).
  • If a wild-type allele is not converted to a drive allele, then it has a probability equal to the "late resistance formation rate" to become resistant. Functional resistance r1 is ignored in this model.
  • The simulation is allowed to run \(100\) generations.
  1. Zhu, J.*, Chen, J.*, Liu, Y.*, Xu, X. & Champer, J. (2023). Population suppression with dominant female-lethal alleles is boosted by homing gene drive. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.05.570109