In a breakthrough in animal health and biosecurity, scientists at the Roslin Institute have successfully developed pigs that are resistant to swine fever (CSF) using cutting-edge gene editing technology.
The highly contagious virus, last detected in the UK in 2000, continues to cause devastating outbreaks across Europe, Asia and Latin America, costing the global pig industry millions of pounds each year.
Researchers at the world-renowned Edinburgh Institute have modified a protein that the virus relies on to replicate inside pig cells. In controlled trials, gene-edited pigs remained perfectly healthy when exposed to CSF, while non-edited pigs developed disease.
The research team said the genetic modification provided the pigs with “complete protection from infection” without affecting their health, growth or development.
They also believe that the modified animals are less likely to transmit the virus to other animals and could represent a powerful new tool to combat one of the world’s most devastating livestock diseases.
Before creating the pigs, the Roslin team worked with international partners to study how a group of viruses known as pestiviruses, including CSF, interact with pig cells.
They focused on a key protein called DNAJC14, which had previously been identified as important for the replication process. In laboratory studies, changing the gene responsible for producing this protein stopped the virus from replicating in cultured cells.
Based on these findings, the researchers made precise changes to part of the DNAJC14 gene in pig embryos, disabling the virus’ ability to hijack the animals’ cellular machinery.
The embryos were implanted into surrogate mothers and exposed to the CSF virus under controlled conditions when the children reached adulthood.
Over several weeks of monitoring, the gene-edited pigs showed no signs of infection, while the unedited pigs developed typical symptoms of the disease, confirming the protective effect of gene editing.
Dr Simon Lillico, principal scientist at the Roslin Institute, said the results showed the growing potential of genetic technologies to protect animal health and improve sustainability.
“Our research highlights the growing potential of gene editing in livestock to improve animal health and support sustainable agriculture,” he said.
The study, published in Trends in Biotechnology, was carried out in collaboration with Genus/PIC, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), and the University of Lübeck in Germany.
This project was funded by the BBSRC National Biosciences Research Infrastructure and supported by the University of Edinburgh’s Large Animal Research and Imaging Facility.
Although swine fever has not been detected in the UK for 25 years, it remains endemic in many parts of the world and continues to pose a biosecurity threat.
Experts say Roslyn’s breakthrough could pave the way to disease-resistant livestock that reduce the need for culling and vaccination during epidemic outbreaks, and could be a game-changer for global animal health and food security.
However, gene-edited animals remain subject to strict regulation and public scrutiny in the UK and Europe, and commercial deployment will continue to require extensive review and approval.
Still, the study marks another milestone in the Roslin Institute’s legacy of livestock innovation, which has forged a world-leading role in genetic science since the birth of Dolly the sheep nearly 30 years ago.
