Japanese scientists have ‘genetically altered’ hens to remove the allergen protein ovomucoid and produce allergy-free eggs.
The researchers at Hiroshima University used transcription activator – like effector nucleases (TALENs) – natural proteins made and used by harmful plant bacteria to control plant genes during infection – to precisely target, cut and ‘gene-edit’ specific gene sequences and alter DNA in 2 chicken strains by removing the ovomucoid gene.
Their study, published in Food and Chemical Toxicology, found eggs from genetically altered hens did not have ovomucoid or mutations of ovomucoid.
Their findings ‘indicate the safety of these eggs as a creation that removes major allergy concerns’, noted medicalnewstoday.com.
Study author Professor Ryo Ezaki commented: ‘These results indicate the importance of safety evaluation and reveal that eggs laid by this OVM (ovomucoid) knockout chicken solve the allergy problem in food and vaccines.
‘The next phase of research will be to evaluate the physical properties and processing suitability of OVM-knockout eggs and to confirm their efficacy through clinical trials.’
Dr Eric Kmiec, chief scientific officer at Philadelphia’s Gene Editing Institute (not involved in this study), told medicalnewstoday.com: ‘This study represents a step forward in the clinical application of gene editing.
‘Using the gene editing tool TALENs, Ezaki’s team demonstrate that deletion of a key allergen can be carried out with a high degree of safety.
‘The work is carried out with great care presenting foundational data upon which a clinical application can no doubt be built.’
