Gene-editing tool for disease resistance in fish
The newest gene-editing tool developed at the Roslin Institute is making a splash!
01/10/2020
A study lead by Dr Yehwa Jin and Dr Remi Gratacap at the Roslin Institute has developed a new gene-editing tool, and their findings have been published in the Marine Biology journal. According to researchers' findings, this tool can optimise changes to fish cell cultures introduced in the lab; over 90% of cells can be edited in a process taking approximately half the time required by other methods.
The open access article from Marine Biology is available through this external link.
"Genetically engineering fish cells in the lab is very challenging because the cells grow slowly and there is currently no efficient way to introduce DNA in them," Dr Remi Gratacap explains. "This new method circumvents these challenges. It is simple, fast, and efficient, and we have shown that it can be used in genetic studies of important aquaculture species."
Yehwa and Remi's study utilized cells from Atlantic salmon, Chinook salmon, and rainbow trout—all of which are enormously important species in the aquaculture industry. The study's findings include vital contributions from Masters student Marina Mantsopoulou, another member of Professor Ross Houston's research group. Their research has been funded by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of the ongoing AquaLeap consortium project.
The University's full article on this new gene-editing tool is accessible through this link.
Our researchers' groundbreaking discoveries deserve to be celebrated and the rest of the aquaculture team congratulates them on their success!