On October 10th, the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom revealed that a team of their scientists had successful gene-edited chickens with the genomic splicing tool called CRISPR, to make the birds resistant to strains of the avian influenza.
In a collaborative effort that included researchers from Imperial College London and the Pirbright Institute, bred altered chickens with a modified section of DNA responsible for producing the protein ANP32A; which scientists believe is used by bird flu viruses to hijack and replicate.
Bird flu is a great threat to bird populations. Vaccination against the virus poses a number of challenges, with significant practical and cost issues associated with vaccine deployment.
Gene-editing offers a promising route towards permanent disease resistance, which could be passed down through generations, protecting poultry and reducing the risks to humans and wild birds. Our work shows that stopping the spread of avian influenza in chickens will need several simultaneous genetic changes.
Professor Mike McGrew, the study’s principal investigator, from the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute
According to a press release from Edinburgh, ‘When the ANP32A gene-edited chickens were exposed to a normal dose of the H9N2-UDL strain of avian influenza virus – commonly known as bird flu – 9 out of 10 birds remained uninfected and there was no spread to other chickens.’
The team then gave the chickens a much higher dose of artificial bird flu virus to test their resilience, resulting in half of the birds becoming infected and the other half resilient.
However, the gene edit did provide some protection, with the amount of virus in the infected gene-edited chickens much lower than the level typically seen during infection in non-gene-edited chickens.
The gene edit also helped to limit onward spread of the virus to just one of four non-gene-edited chickens placed in the same incubator. There was no transmission to gene-edited birds.
The University explained
The scientists also discovered that the virus when administered to gene-spliced chickens tried to leech from other proteins to replicate (ANP32B and ANP32E).
Following lab tests, scientists found that some of the mutations enabled the virus to utilize the human version of ANP32, but its replication remained low in cell cultures from the human airway.
Experts say that additional genetic changes would be needed for the virus to infect and spread effectively in humans.
However, the findings demonstrate that the single ANP32A gene edit is not robust enough for application in the production of chickens, according to the team.
The team claims
The scientists then decided to edit all the related proteins that the virus was using to try and replicate to avoid “virus escape,” via lab-grown chicken cells. The team found that when editing those cells and exposed to the virus it blocked cellular replication. The team indicates they plan to replicate chickens with those edited proteins and see what happens then.
‘The study highlights the importance of responsible gene editing and the need to be alert to the risks of driving viral evolution in unwanted directions if complete resistance is not achieved, experts say,’ the University writes; also noting the pending threat of bird flu, especially in context of this latest Western outbreak that occurred over the past two years, being labeled as the worst outbreak in history.
The college concludes: ‘In rare instances, mutations in the bird flu virus allow it to infect people and cause serious illness. Efforts to control the spread of the disease are urgently needed.’
This work is an exciting collaboration that fuses our expertise in virology with the world-leading genetic capability at the Roslin Institute.
Although we haven’t yet got the perfect combination of gene edits to take this approach into the field, the results have told us a lot about how influenza virus functions inside the infected cell and how to slow its replication.
Professor Wendy Barclay, Imperial College London, said
This form of research also reignites the efforts to mitigate bird flu around the world, and the sobering warnings from former CDC Director Robert Redfield. Redfield has warned on more than one occasion that adamantly believes that bird flu will be the ‘next pandemic,’ due to gain-of-function research.
In an interview with The Hill in March, Redfield sounded-off on what he says is indeed going to be the next pandemic.
I do believe the next pandemic, and we’re going to have another pandemic and I think it’s going to be the great pandemic. I consider Covid a minor pandemic, the great pandemic’s going to come.
And normally, it would come from spillover – bird flu that learns how to transmit to humans and then go to human-to-human. But I think the species barriers are very real.
But it’s much more probable that it will happen because of gain-of-function research in a laboratory and then escape and then we’re going to have a pandemic… which will be much more brutal to the world than Covid was.
I told you that the great pandemic is coming. I think it’s gonna come not from spillover, it’s going to come from gain-of-function research or intentional bioterrorism. Alright, it’s going to be a bird flu virus that is manipulated to be able to transmit human-to-human, very similar to what we saw with Covid.
You know in 2014 that laboratory published that they finally learned to take their Covid virus, and have it bind to the H2 receptor and humanize mice, and therefore it could go human-to-human. […] Redfield warned
One year prior to that, Redfield issued the same warning in an interview with TBN’s CenterPoint, where he said that the death rate of this bird flu outbreak would be massive.
Yeah I think we have to recognize – I’ve always said that I think the Covid pandemic was a wakeup call. I don’t believe it’s the great pandemic.
I believe the great pandemic is still in the future, and that’s going to be a bird flu pandemic for man. It’s gonna have significant mortality in the 10-50% range. It’s gonna be trouble.
He warned again
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
Well, isn’t this just nice? Of course I am being sarcastic.
This is precisely what Redfield was talking about: idiots using gain-of-function that will lead to a massive pandemic that will kill-off a lot of people.
That being said, and this is just my opinion, this “next pandemic” will be something other than actual bird flu: bird flu will just be the spin-job the media gives it – which will be a proxy to get people to vastly reduce people’s meat consumption, by culling livestock through vaccination or contamination, and same for wildlife, and pulling meat and dairy from store shelves.
[1] Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; [2] Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; [3] Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 1 Timothy 4:1-3
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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Yaaaaaaaa just what we all want to hear crazy people in power just want to kill you, your family, even your poor pets and wildlife but hey they just can’t stand it when people go hunting for dear, instead starve to death……….may God help his saints.
Gal_6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Lousy scientists, ya lose!