Public Funding for Genus PLC

Infectious disease is the biggest threat to global animal protein food security. African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a hemorrhagic fever in domestic pigs and while ASFV infection is almost always fatal in domestic pigs, ASFV infected wild African pigs (e.g. warthogs) are asymptomatic. There are no vaccines currently available to combat ASF. Since 2007 ASF has spread throughout Eastern Europe and was reported in Belgium and China in 2018. Genetic resistance of animals to pathogens is desireable but is not easy to identify and may not be present in a breeding population. Gene editing technology has been used to develop pigs resistant to viral diseases. Genus previously collaborated with RI to produce pigs completely resistant to the PRRS virus and partnered in an Innovate UK grant to investigate if specific edits in the porcine RELA gene would confer resilience to ASFV.While the latter project did not result in ASFV resilient pigs, we now propose to identify additional candidate genes for ASF resistance in domestic pigs with an additional partner, Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA). In the new project we will use a gene editing approach in cells to produce a list of candidates to support a genetic route towards ASFV-resistant pigs to benefit the sub-Saharan African pork industry.

Infectious disease is the biggest threat to global animal protein food security. As production intensifies the livestock industry becomes more vulnerable to devastating disease outbreaks affecting millions of animals. In this project, we target three viral diseases of pigs for which no effective vaccination or other mitigating strategy is available. We are using extremely precise genome editing technology in domestic pigs to introduce new versions of an important immune function gene, based on the gene of a wild pig species, which we hypothesise could improve the resistance/resilience of such pigs to three specific viruses (African Swine Fever Virus, Swine Influenza Virus and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus). This project will enable us to validate if any of these new gene versions confer improved viral resistance/resilience through disease challenge experiments. This project is an essential step towards commercialisation of virus resistant pigs and if successful, could result in PIC, a global UK-based breeding company, leading the world in supplying pigs with an enhanced ability to fight viral disease and contribute significantly to nourishing the world’s growing population.

This project addresses food security and environmental sustainability by increasing the efficiency and decreasing the carbon footprint of pork production. Specifically, we target the significant impact of influenza virus on one of the UK core livestock industries. Swine influenza ranks consistently among the top 3 economic diseases affecting breeding, nursery, and finishing herds. Second among viral diseases only to PRRS, influenza is the top zoonotic viral disease of swine. Using new technology we will produce GM pigs expressing decoy RNAs to prevent replication and propagation of virus. The aim is to mitigate if not eliminate mortality and morbidity due to influenza infections of pigs, while additionally protecting human health by reducing the zoonotic flu pandemic potential. The strategy is based on the recent validation of a novel RNA decoy approach in chickens. This project will produce a 'prototype' study and, if successful, further method refinement required to develop a commercial product.