2023-10-17 06:00:05
Avian flu has been spreading around the world since 2022. It poses a great threat, having already wiped out millions of poultry. Vaccination against this virus is certainly possible but presents many practical and financial difficulties in particular. Faced with this scourge, scientists have imagined a completely different method to fight against the virus (A virus is a biological entity which requires a host cell, which it uses…): they have managed to modify the DNA of chickens in order to to immunize them.
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In order to defeat this virus, British scientists from the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh have just tested for the first time a new solution: genetic editing (Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ = to give birth) is …). Unlike genetic modification, this technique modifies existing genes but does not introduce a new foreign gene.
The objective was therefore to modify a specific gene in order to allow birds to protect themselves from this virus, and thus to reduce its spread while having long-term effectiveness since this genetic modification can be transmitted from generation to generation. To apply this technique, the researchers used the CRISPR tool to make modifications to the gene called ANP32. , the latter being known to be essential for maintaining the virus in poultry cells.
The first tests carried out on chickens show promising results: genetically modified poultry have indeed shown resistance to avian flu. By applying a “normal” dose of a form of the virus less deadly than the H5N1 strain, almost all chickens (9 out of 10) showed resistance against it. However, when birds were exposed to artificially high doses, half of them developed infections. Indeed, the virus has managed to find a technique allowing it to replicate using other proteins.
Faced with this result, scientists specify that they will need to resort to more genetic modifications. According to them, limiting yourself to the modification of a single gene will not be sufficient; three specific genetic modifications would have to be used to achieve a satisfactory result. Furthermore, they will have to ensure that these genetic modifications do not encourage the virus to adapt, by evolving into a form that could be dangerous for humans (A man is an adult male individual of the species called Modern Man (Homo…).
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