Kuzbass scientists managed to get calves with an edited genome that makes animals resistant to leukemia. This was achieved at the Kuzbass scientific and educational center, created on the basis of the Kuzbass State Agricultural Academy, the National Agrarian Agency reports citing the academy.

As the governor of the Kemerovo region Sergey Tsivilev said, this happened for the first time in world science. The developed and successfully tested technology will allow raising animals resistant to leukemia. Huge funds are spent annually on treating a sick herd and replacing sick individuals, since leukemia is an incurable disease. A solution to this problem has now been found.

The experiment lasts for the second year. In 2020, the practical part began: scientists took adult healthy cows of the black-moth breed and transplanted them with modified embryos resistant to the leukemia virus.

In September, 19 calves with altered genes appeared. In the course of subsequent analyses, it was confirmed: calves differ from their peers only in their resistance to the virus.

According to the project manager, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor of the Department of Animal Engineering of the University Tatyana Zubova, five calves will be taken for further selection work in order to consolidate hereditary signs of resistance to leukemia virus in subsequent generations.

Scientists intend to continue work in the field of genetic engineering, as now there are prospects to cope with other animal diseases.

Source: Sfera FM