2023-10-10 18:15:57
It has long been suspected that avian flu could be the next big pandemic as it jumps from birds to humans. Therefore, scientists are working to find a solution to this serious problem. In 2019, a team from Roslin Institute, University of Edinburghthe center where Dolly the sheep was created, and Imperial College London, used gene editing tools to stop the spread of the bird flu virus in lab-grown chicken cells by making them resistant.
The findings opened the possibility of producing genetically modified chickens that are resistant to the disease.
Well, this is exactly what a published study has just presented.Nature Communications‘concludes that the editing of a protein essential for the development of avian flu in chickens (called ANP32A) and the deletion of two genes (ANP32B and ANP32E) associated with it in their cells, would prevent the virus from replicating normally. one animal to another.
Scientists have used gene editing techniques to identify and change parts of chicken DNA that could limit the spread of the bird flu virus in animals.
The researchers were able to restrict, but not completely block, the virus from infecting chickens by altering a small section of their DNA.
The birds showed no signs that the change in their DNA had any impact on their health or well-being.
The findings are an encouraging step forward, but Experts emphasize that more genetic modifications would be needed to produce a chicken population that cannot be infected by bird fluone of the most costly animal diseases in the world.
“Avian flu is widespread in Asia, Europe, Africa and America, especially South America, and it is feared that it will reach Antarctica,” the researcher explains at the press conference to present the study. Mike McGrewfrom the University of Edinburgh, reports EFE.
The researchers were able to restrict, but not completely block, the virus from infecting chickens by altering a small section of their DNA.
This virus poses a threat to wild bird species, a significant economic cost to livestock farmers and a risk to human health; in fact, it has already caused human deaths, McGrew recalls.
A few years ago, the scientist Imperial College London, Wendy Barclayalso the author of this study, isolated the protein that hosts the virus, taking the first step to create chickens resistant to it.
Now, researchers have managed to edit this protein in the germ cells of chickens to minimize the activity of influenza A.
«We saw that adult chickens with the edited ANP32A protein are resistant to a physiological dose of exposure to influenza Acoming from other infected birds, and show greater recovery from the disease,” says McGrew.
Furthermore, the chickens, which had a follow-up phase of more than two years after receiving a dose of the virus, did not suffer health problems related to it nor did it affect their egg laying.
Transmitted resistance
Gene editing offers a promising route to permanent disease resistance, which could passed down from generation to generation, protecting poultry and reducing risks to humans and wild birds. Our work shows that stopping the spread of avian influenza in chickens will require several simultaneous genetic changes.
The next step will be to try to develop chickens with modifications in all three genes. No birds have been produced yet.
Study highlights the importance of responsible gene editing and the need to be alert to the risks of driving viral evolution in undesirable directions if complete resistance is not achieved, experts say.
Avian influenza is a major global threat, with a devastating impact on both wild and farmed bird populations.
In rare cases, mutations in the bird flu virus allow it to infect people and cause serious illness. Efforts to control the spread of the disease are urgently needed.
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