Scientists have used gene-editing technology to develop gene-edited chickens with increased resistance to avian flu. This research underscores the genetic engineering as a potential method for mitigating bird flu, a threat to animals as well as humans. However, it must be noted that despite the gene-editing some infections still occurred in the gene-edited chickens, particularly at high virus exposure levels. This shows that while there is a possibility of creating flu-resistant birds, there is a lot of work that is needed to be done.
This study was done using CRISPR, a DNA modifying tool which was used to modify a chicken gene responsible for the ANP32A protein, which the flu virus exploits for replication. These modifications showed no adverse effects to the chicken’s health and showed that gene-edited chickens are much more resistance to the infection even when exposed to high viral doses.
In high-dose scenarios, some mutations allowed the virus to adapt and utilize the edited ANP32A protein. While these mutations raised concerns, they alone weren’t sufficient for the virus to adapt to humans. The mutated flu virus could replicate in the absence of ANP32A by using other proteins in the same family.
With the technology of gene-editing being touted as the next potential thing that will eliminate the need for routine poultry vaccinations, the main question regarding gene-editing now remains about whether the chickens will grow and develop at the desired rate. In the meantime, gene-editing has given enough promise of making the host less susceptible to the flu which implies there will be less stress to the public health posed by the avian flu.
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