Gene-Edited Pigs Approved to Enter Food Chain for the First Time
Washington State University researchers will help make history after receiving FDA "investigational" authorization to have their gene-edited pigs enter the food chain for human consumption.
“It’s important for a university to set the precedent by working with federal regulators to get these animals introduced into the food supply,” Jon Oatley, a professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences in WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, said in a university release. “If we don’t go through that process, all of the research we’re doing is for naught because it will never make it out into the public.”
Gene-Edited Pork
Researchers at WSU used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to improve genetic traits in five pigs. Oatley undertook the investigational food use authorization process for these gene-edited pigs to demonstrate that food made from the animals is safe to eat and that it is possible for an academic institution to achieve this type of FDA authorization.
"Gene-editing can make changes in an organism’s DNA that could occur in nature or through selective breeding but would take much longer without a tool like CRISPR," the release said. Oatley is also working toward an FDA approval for a line of gene-edited pigs.
The FDA authorization is investigational, and limited to these particular pigs, but the university says this shows that gene-editing livestock to quickly produce desirable traits for improved food production is a viable strategy for helping feed the planet’s growing population.
“The original intent in making these animals was to try to improve the way that we feed people,” he said. “And we can’t do that unless we can work with the FDA system to get these animals actually into the food chain.”
The Pork Tastes the Same
The pigs were then processed at the WSU Meat Lab at two years of age. After USDA inspection, a meat scientist made some of the pork into German-style sausages. The researchers grilled the sausages and said there was no difference in taste, texture or nutrients.
Some of the meat from the pigs will be used to raise money for travel for the Washington State University's meat judging team.
How Does This Gene Editing Process Work?
The pigs were originally gene-edited in a way that would enable researchers to use them to sire offspring with traits from another male pig, the researchers explain.
"Known as surrogate sires, this technology first gene-edits male animals to be sterile by knocking out a gene called NANOS2 that is specific to male fertility. These animals can then be implanted with another male’s stem cells that create sperm with that male’s desired traits to be passed on to the next generation," the release said.
Surrogate sire technology has the potential to improve meat quality as well as the health and resilience of livestock in the face of changing environmental conditions, a critical goal for increasing protein sources in developing nations, researchers explain.
The surrogate sires’ progeny, which are not gene-edited, have not yet been reviewed by the FDA for possible inclusion in the food chain, the release said. It required much effort to secure the investigational approval for these five pigs.
"The FDA waives some fees for nonprofits like universities, but by the time the process was completed, Oatley’s team had spent two years and approximately $200,000 collecting data for this authorization," the release said.
