There are plenty of people out there who love animals but whose allergies prevent them from ever becoming pet owners. Life is cruel like that. We have all these adorable little puppies around begging for a loving home, but then you break out in hives the second one of them licks your face. Revolutions in gene-editing therapy could soon change that.
The Associated Press reports that a team of researchers has successfully used CRISPR gene-editing technology to create what could be the world’s first truly hypoallergenic beagles. What a time to be alive.
Bailey and Alfie are twin beagles created by researchers at Kindred Companion Sciences, a biotech company that used CRISPR to switch off the primary gene responsible for producing a protein that triggers most dog allergies. Most dog breeds that are supposedly hypoallergenic can still produce allergy-causing proteins in their saliva and dander. Supposedly, these beagles don’t even do that, making them safe to snuggle.
The research team used geneticist Matt Walker as a guinea pig. Walker has had lifelong dog allergies that make his eyes itch, spark a sneezing fit, and cause them to break out in a rash. The researchers exposed him to Bailey and Alfie’s saliva and fur samples… and his immune system barely noticed. When they exposed him to supposedly hypoallergenic breeds like poodles and goldendoodles, the usual reactions arose.
Scientists Used CRISPR to Create Hypoallergenic Beagles
The technique is still in its proof-of-concept stage and is far from ready for worldwide deployment. There are years of testing ahead before people can start snatching up gene-edited, truly hypoallergenic beagles. And there are a lot of ethical questions that people are going to have to wrestle with.
We are dipping our toes in the pool of eugenics, after all. Slippery slope arguments hide around every corner of the gene editing world, and they aren’t so high-minded or theoretical. Genetically modified pets, for example, could reduce adoption rates for shelter animals that are waiting for homes.
Expand the scope of the conversation and we start getting into some real dicey territory where things sound great, like potentially altering genes that are linked to diseases, but then there is the very real possibility that people, especially the exorbitantly wealthy, could start creating designer babies that are genetically superior to traditionally born people, creating a whole new type of inequality where the wealthy create what essentially amounts to a genetically superior super race and everyone else who can’t afford it has to deal with our natural limitations.
But, hey, at least you won’t sneeze when you hold a puppy.