Catch me if you can: a spatial model for a brake-driven gene drive reversal (Q2283931)

The paper presents the results of mathematical simulations (numerical experiments) to assess the effects of the relative proportions of drive fitness and break fitness in the context of population management using gene drives. Based on a reaction-diffusion system model, and incorporating ideas from the predator-prey system with strong Allee effects on the prey, the authors propose \(\frac{1}{2}\) as a suitable threshold to differentiate between the occurrence of coextinction or coexistence. The paper comprises of a thorough introduction balancing biological and mathematical concepts, followed by a detailed description of the model and methods. In the results section the authors the authors present results on coexistence or coextinction focusing on the appropriateness of the problem, on the characterisation of spatially uniform stationary states and on the break with small selective disadvantage (the prey-predator regime); the full proofs of theorems are included. The paper concludes with a discussion on the consequences of various choices of selective disadvantages, on imperfect conversion efficiencies and on its biological implications. The style of the paper makes it accessible to both biologists with a good understanding of the mathematical concepts and to mathematicians interested in interdisciplinary research.