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Since scientists demonstrated that it can be used to alter the genome of living organisms, the CRISPR gene editing tool has been in the news for 10 years.
This technology could revolutionize healthcare. CRISPR has been used to treat cancer in children, as an example. CRISPR is being investigated for many genetic diseases. CRISPR was used last year by a company to treat a woman suffering from dangerously high cholesterol.
CRISPR could transform aquaculture and farming. I recently wrote about researchers who introduced an alligator gene to catfish. This is not to make the fish alligator-like but to make them more resilient to disease. Alligators are known for their ability to fight off infections.
Fish farming could be affected by even a slight increase in resilience. Around 40% of fish that are farmed in the world die before they can be harvested. Imagine being able stop even a fraction of this loss.
Scientists have attempted to modify the genetics of farm animals before. Farmers have tried to increase the size and muscle of their animals through selective breeding. This has made them more docile and easier to raise for future generations. CRISPR and other gene-editing tools should enable them to accelerate the process.
CRISPR is a significant improvement over other gene-editing tools. It's inexpensive, fast, and simple to use. CRISPR is evolving to allow scientists to do more with a genome. Some forms let us change the base letters in DNA. For example, we can swap a C for T. Other forms let us insert new genes.
It's not surprising that scientists are now using CRISPR to experiment with farm animals. Myostatin is one of the most popular targets. This gene codes for a protein that regulates muscle growth. Overgrowth of muscle can result from interfering with this gene. This means that you will end up with large, muscular animals. You end up with more meat.
CRISPR has been used by scientists to create super-muscly goats, pigs and sheep. However, these studies did not yield perfect results. Many of these animals died in their first year. Many of the animals had unusually large tongues.
Fish research is ongoing. Scientists in Japan have created red sea bream with 17% more muscle, while being fed the same food.
Similar approaches have been used to increase carp, tilapia and catfish as well as other aquatic animals like oysters. Researchers are also exploring new ways to use CRISPR in order to increase disease resistance and create salmon with more omega-3.
However, you won't see CRISPR products on supermarket shelves yet. Some are very close. Japan approved two CRISPR-edited fish in 2021. One is the red sea bream, which has been tamed. Another is the tiger puffer fish, which is also heavier.
Researchers behind transgenic catfish hope to get it approved for commercial production in America. It could take some time. It took decades for one gene-edited fish to be approved for sale in the US.
The genetic modification to the AquAdvantage salmon makes it bigger. According to Sylvia Wulf (CEO and president of AquaBounty), the company that produces these fish, it takes 25% less food to grow them to size where they can be sold.
In 1992, the company created its first genetically-engineered fish. It didn't make it to the US market until 2021, however.
Similar timelines were followed for gene-edited pork. PPL Therapeutics, now known as Revivicor, created pigs that were genetically engineered not to have the sugar alpha-gal in 2001. The main purpose of the company is to produce organs that can then be transplanted into humans using these pigs. People's immune systems are more likely to reject organs with this sugar.
The FDA approved the animals in 2020 for human consumption. According to an FDA news release, these gene-edited porc products could be safe for those who are allergic to alpha–gal.
It is difficult to predict the pace at which CRISPR animals will move through the US approval process. They are making progress.
Tech Review archive:
This is the story about catfish who were given an alligator genetic to increase their resistance to disease and infections. They are also sterile without a hormone. This should limit any potential impact on the environment if they escape.
This is not just for farmed animals. In China, the first gene-edited pets dogs were created back in 2015. They were a pair of super-muscly Beagles named Tiangou (after the "heavendog" in Chinese mythology) and Hercules. Antonio Regalado, my colleague, reported.
In a first in the world, a heart from a Revivicor-gene-edited pig was transplanted into a man suffering from terminal heart diseaselast, according to Charlotte Jee, my colleague.
However, the heart of the man who died a few weeks later was found to be infected by a pig virus. Antonio exclusively reported this in May.
Genetically-engineered animals that are hornless can have surprising consequences, Antonio reported.
You can find everything on the internet
Two gene therapies for sickle cell disease are expected to soon be available in clinics. It is not easy to choose between these treatments and live a completely different life. (The New York Times).
Third parties such as Google and online pharmacies that sell abortion pills may have access to sensitive data. These data could be used by law enforcement officers to prosecute women who end their pregnancies. (ProPublica)
Moderna claims its mRNA vaccine against respiratory syncytialvirus (RSV), works. The trial involved 37,000 volunteers over 60 years old. It found that the vaccine reduced the disease rate by 83.7%. (Moderna)
Probiotics may help lower the risk of Staphylococcus Aureus infection. aureus in their feces. (The Lancet Microbe).
My colleagues and I published our annual list last week of the top 10 breakthrough technologies for the year. These are the ones that didn't make it to the top. (MIT Technology Review)
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By: Jessica Hamzelou
Title: How CRISPR is making farmed animals bigger, stronger, and healthier
Sourced From: www.technologyreview.com/2023/01/20/1067125/crispr-farmed-animals-bigger-stronger-healthier/
Published Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2023 09:30:00 +0000
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