Scientists at Edinburgh's Roslin Institute have made a groundbreaking discovery, successfully creating pigs that are resistant to classical swine fever (CSF), a highly contagious and often fatal disease. The breakthrough comes after years of research into gene editing technologies, which aim to bolster the resilience of livestock against devastating diseases.
According to experts, CSF has been a major threat to pig farming worldwide since its eradication in the UK in 1966. Despite efforts by countries such as China, Russia, and Brazil, where the disease is endemic, outbreaks continue to occur due to costly and labor-intensive vaccination programs and international trade restrictions.
In a remarkable study published in Trends in Biotechnology, researchers used gene editing technology to introduce a specific edit to the DNA of pigs, targeting a protein called DNAJC14. This protein plays a critical role in the replication of pestiviruses, which include CSF. The results showed that four pigs with the edited gene were completely healthy and showed no signs of infection when exposed to CSF, whereas their control counterparts developed symptoms of the disease and had high levels of the virus in their blood.
The study's findings have significant implications for pig farming worldwide, as they demonstrate a potential solution to this devastating disease. Experts hail the breakthrough as a major step forward in using genomics-enabled innovation to build resilience to disease in livestock populations.
"This virus has a severe effect on animal welfare and productivity," said Dr Christine Tait-Burkard, a group leader at the Roslin Institute. "We're hopeful that our discovery can help reduce losses for farmers and improve the overall health of pigs worldwide."
While the study focused on CSF, researchers are now exploring whether the same gene edit could confer resistance to other diseases affecting cattle and sheep in the UK.
As countries continue to relax rules around gene editing in agriculture, this breakthrough serves as a reminder of the potential benefits of such technology. The UK's Precision Breeding Act has paved the way for gene-edited crops, while countries such as the US, Japan, and Brazil have already approved gene-edited livestock.
The development of disease-resistant pigs has sparked debate about the ethics of genetic modification in agriculture. "In my mind, there is a moral imperative that if we can make animals that are disease resistant, then we probably should do," said Dr Simon Lillico, a research scientist at the Roslin Institute.
Dr Emily Clark of EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute added: "Decades of genomic research have made it possible to pinpoint and precisely edit the genes involved in disease resistance. Research like this is helping to create healthier animals, reduce losses for farmers, and marks a major step forward in using genomics-enabled innovation to build resilience to disease in livestock populations."
According to experts, CSF has been a major threat to pig farming worldwide since its eradication in the UK in 1966. Despite efforts by countries such as China, Russia, and Brazil, where the disease is endemic, outbreaks continue to occur due to costly and labor-intensive vaccination programs and international trade restrictions.
In a remarkable study published in Trends in Biotechnology, researchers used gene editing technology to introduce a specific edit to the DNA of pigs, targeting a protein called DNAJC14. This protein plays a critical role in the replication of pestiviruses, which include CSF. The results showed that four pigs with the edited gene were completely healthy and showed no signs of infection when exposed to CSF, whereas their control counterparts developed symptoms of the disease and had high levels of the virus in their blood.
The study's findings have significant implications for pig farming worldwide, as they demonstrate a potential solution to this devastating disease. Experts hail the breakthrough as a major step forward in using genomics-enabled innovation to build resilience to disease in livestock populations.
"This virus has a severe effect on animal welfare and productivity," said Dr Christine Tait-Burkard, a group leader at the Roslin Institute. "We're hopeful that our discovery can help reduce losses for farmers and improve the overall health of pigs worldwide."
While the study focused on CSF, researchers are now exploring whether the same gene edit could confer resistance to other diseases affecting cattle and sheep in the UK.
As countries continue to relax rules around gene editing in agriculture, this breakthrough serves as a reminder of the potential benefits of such technology. The UK's Precision Breeding Act has paved the way for gene-edited crops, while countries such as the US, Japan, and Brazil have already approved gene-edited livestock.
The development of disease-resistant pigs has sparked debate about the ethics of genetic modification in agriculture. "In my mind, there is a moral imperative that if we can make animals that are disease resistant, then we probably should do," said Dr Simon Lillico, a research scientist at the Roslin Institute.
Dr Emily Clark of EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute added: "Decades of genomic research have made it possible to pinpoint and precisely edit the genes involved in disease resistance. Research like this is helping to create healthier animals, reduce losses for farmers, and marks a major step forward in using genomics-enabled innovation to build resilience to disease in livestock populations."
. I mean, they're basically rewriting the pig's DNA to make them resistant to CSF. It raises so many questions about where this tech is gonna go and what kind of consequences we'll have down the line. And I'm not just talking about the ethics of it all, but also how it's gonna affect our food system and global trade 
. If they can do this with pigs, what's to stop them from doing it with other animals?
- i mean weve been down this road before with gene edited crops & animals. what about the unintended consequences? like how will these pigs be treated if they're 'disease resistant' but still being farmed for food? r we just gonna create more efficient ways to exploit animals without considering their welfare 
so they finally found a way to make pigs not get sick from CSF? that's amazing! but i'm still a bit curious about the DNAJC14 protein, how does it work exactly? and what other diseases could this gene edit help prevent? 
Scientists at Roslin Institute have successfully created pigs that are resistant to CSF, which is a huge deal for pig farming worldwide. I mean, think about it - without this gene edit, farmers would have to rely on costly and labor-intensive vaccination programs, which can be super pricey and time-consuming.
It's like they found a magic pill for pig farmers. And the best part is that this technology could also help reduce losses for farmers and improve the overall health of pigs worldwide.
. I mean, can you imagine if this tech could be applied to other animals too? 
It's like we're on the cusp of a revolution in animal health and productivity 
. The fact that it's gene editing tech is just nuts 
. I'm not sure about the ethics debate though, but at the end of the day, if it means fewer sick animals and healthier farms, then count me in 
. This could be HUGE for farmers and the industry as a whole 
this is huge for pig farming worldwide and could help reduce losses for farmers and improve animal welfare too 
. Who knows what other life-changing discoveries are just around the corner?! 
. But seriously, this is huge news for pig farming and could save farmers a ton of cash (and animals) 
. I'm all for genetic modification if it means making our food supply safer and more sustainable 
. And who knows, maybe one day we'll have "super-cows" and "super-sheep" too 
. But at the same time, I'm a bit hesitant about the ethics of all this. We're basically playing God now and messing around with DNA... what if there are unintended consequences? 
it's wild, scientists have been working on gene editing tech for yrs & now they've got pigs that are basically immune 
but I do wonder what other diseases these edited pigs could be resistant to? maybe we'll see more breakthroughs like this soon 
so kudos to the Roslin Institute team for doing this research. now if they can just scale up production and make it affordable for farmers worldwide... that would be amazing 
just think about all them pigs dat dey been dyin from CSF 
at Roslin Institute 