The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week gave a U.K.-based biotech company the green light to produce gene-edited pigs for human consumption in the U.S.
PIC, formerly the Pig Improvement Company, uses CRISPR gene-editing technology to genetically engineer pigs to be resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a viral infection that affects pigs produced in industrial factory farms, according to Technology Review.
PRRS, which first emerged in the 1980s, is a contagious respiratory virus that causes fever, respiratory issues and reproductive failure in pigs. It can also suppress the immune system, making pigs more vulnerable to other infections.
A recent analysis showed the virus cost the industrial pork industry about $1.2 billion in lost production between 2016 and 2020. Producers have had difficulty controlling the virus because it mutates quickly, rendering vaccines ineffective.
CRISPR gene editing makes it possible for scientists to manipulate an animal’s own DNA, rather than adding DNA from other species to it, as has been done with previous genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The FDA’s approval allows the company to produce the pigs commercially, which includes allowing the pigs to reproduce and pass on their genetic modification.