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Researchers at InBio (formerly Indoor Biotechnologies), a biotech company in Virginia, report progress en route to developing a hypoallergenic cat – or at least treating patients with allergies to the domestic cat – in a new article published online in The CRISPR Journal.
About 15 percent of the population suffer allergies to domestic cats, which researchers have previously shown is largely attributable to what the Atlantic called “a pernicious little protein” -- an allergen called Fel d 1 that is shed by all cats. In the new study, Nicole Brackett and colleagues at InBio performed a bioinformatics analysis of the Fel d 1 gene from 50 domestic cats to pinpoint conserved coding regions suitable for CRISPR editing. Further comparisons to genes in eight exotic felid species revealed a high degree of variation, suggesting that Fel d 1 is nonessential for cats. The researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 to disrupt Fel d 1 with high efficiency.
“Our data indicate that Fel d 1 is both a rational and viable candidate for gene deletion, which may profoundly benefit cat allergy sufferers by removing the major allergen at the source,” the authors write. The study paves the way for further experiments exploring the use of CRISPR as a potential genetic therapy to muzzle the release of cat allergens.
Contact: Nicole Brackett (InBio)
Email: nbrackett@inbio.com
THIS PRESS RELEASE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL 10:00 EST / 15:00 GMT MARCH 28, 2022
About the Journal
The CRISPR Journal is a groundbreaking peer-reviewed journal dedicated to outstanding research and commentary on all aspects of CRISPR and gene editing research. Published bimonthly in print and online and led by Editor-in-Chief Rodolphe Barrangou, PhD, North Carolina State University, the Journal covers CRISPR biology, technology and genome editing, and commentary and debate of key policy, regulatory, and ethical issues affecting the field. For complete information and a sample issue, please visit The CRISPR Journal website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s more than 100 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
Journal
The CRISPR Journal
Method of Research
Case study
Subject of Research
Animals