How Gene Modified Chicken Cells Resisted the Avian Influenza Virus

Gene-modified chicken cells were able to resist the bird flu virus in the laboratory. Could chickens resistant to the disease be produced?

Scientists were able to prevent the spread of the bird flu virus in gene-modified chicken cells. This could potentially lead to the production of virus-resistant chickens in the future.

Professor Wendy Barclay, Chair of Flu Virology at Imperial College London, said, "We have long known that chickens are a reservoir of influenza viruses that could trigger the next pandemic. In this research, we have identified the smallest genetic change we can make to chickens to prevent the virus from settling. This could help stop the next influenza pandemic at the source. "

Bird flu

According to the University of Edinburgh, bird flu poses a major threat to chickens from around the world. Severe strains can kill up to one hundred percent of the birds in a herd and some variations of the virus can infect people and cause serious illness.

The production of genetically modified chickens

The team was able to prevent the spread of the bird flu virus by removing some of its chicken DNA in laboratory-grown chicken cells. The next step will be to try to produce chickens edited by gene.

Mike McGrew of the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh said, "This is an important advance that suggests that we could perhaps use gene editing techniques to produce chickens that are resistant to influenza. bird. We have not produced any birds yet and we need to check if the DNA change has any other effects on the birds' cells before we can move on to the next step. "

Rachel Hawken, Senior Director of Genomics and Quantitative Genetics at Cobb-Vantress, added, "Avian influenza resistance to broiler production is of worldwide significance and this research is an important step in that direction. Cobb is excited about exploring new technologies that could be used to advance poultry production in the future. "