Srinagar- In a major scientific milestone, researchers have developed the world’s first flu-resistant chicken by altering their genes.
The ground-breaking research published in the prestigious Nature Communications journal has the potential to greatly benefit the poultry sector across the world by reducing the risk of avian influenza outbreaks in farms, which can save poultry farmers from significant losses.
Interestingly, one of the scientists who co-authored this important study hails from Kashmir– Dr Salik Nazki, presently working as an Immunologist at Professor Sarah Gilbert’s laboratory in the University of Oxford.
Speaking exclusively to Kashmir Observer, Dr Salik said the first-of-the kind research shows how to create chickens that are resistant to avian influenza, a disease that can severely impact poultry farming.
Titled, “Creating resistance to avian influenza infection through genome editing of the ANP32 gene family,” the study published on October 10, 2023, is a collaborative effort between the Roslin Institute of The University of Edinburgh, The Imperial College London, and The Pirbright Institute.
“We used a powerful genetic tool called CRISPR/Cas9 to edit the genes of chickens. Imagine it like making precise changes in the genetic code of chicken. The key to this resistance is a protein in chickens called ANP32A, which the flu virus needs to multiply and spread. We modified the ANP32A protein in the chickens by changing two of its building blocks (amino acids), preventing the flu virus from using it effectively,” he detailed out.
When the researchers exposed these gene-edited chickens to the flu virus, nine out of ten of them did not get infected, which is a very promising result. This is because the virus couldn’t interact with the modified ANP32A protein in these birds.
Dr Salik explained, however, when the scientists working on the study tried a higher dose of the flu virus, some of the chickens did get infected. “But what was interesting is that the virus had changed its own genes to adapt to the modified ANP32A in the chickens. It’s like the virus learned to get around our genetic modification.”
To make chickens truly resistant to the flu, the researchers realized that they might need to make more genetic changes. “In some experiments, we removed the entire ANP32A gene from chicken embryos. But then the virus found a way to use other similar proteins, ANP32B and ANP32E, to grow in the chickens,” he added.
His role in the research study focused on testing and confirming the resistance of these birds to avian influenza, which could be a significant advancement in preventing outbreaks in poultry farms in future.
Asked if the gene-edited poultry is safe to consumed, Dr Salik maintained that consumption of gene-edited poultry would be classified as a genetically modified food and therefore undergoes stringent regulatory scrutiny before gaining approval for human consumption.
The scientist said the next steps in creating flu-resistant chickens involve making further genetic improvements, evaluating the long-term health of such chicken, obtaining regulatory approvals for their use, addressing ethical and social concerns, maintaining farm biosecurity, making the technology cost-effective and accessible, and gaining public acceptance.
“Challenges in this process include the need to enhance the resistance to the flu in chickens, monitor their long-term health, navigate regulatory procedures, address public concerns, maintain biosecurity on farms, make the technology affordable, and ensure public acceptance of gene-edited animals,” Dr Salik said.
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