{"id":1083,"date":"2019-12-06T11:58:53","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T11:58:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=1083"},"modified":"2019-12-06T11:58:53","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T11:58:53","slug":"genetically-engineered-animals-offer-fresh-hope-to-heart-valve-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1083\/genetically-engineered-animals-offer-fresh-hope-to-heart-valve-patients\/","title":{"rendered":"Genetically engineered animals offer fresh hope to heart valve patients"},"content":{"rendered":"
Scientists have cloned a genetically engineered bull which they hope will help heart valve transplant patients lead better quality lives and benefit people with red meat allergies.<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Every year, about 300,000 people worldwide receive a new heart valve. Whenever possible, doctors use valves made of tissue from cows or pigs, because the synthetic alternatives can cause blood clots.<\/p>\n

But there is a hitch. Although animal tissue valves can last up to 30 years in people over 60 years old, they can be destroyed in just five years in a younger person, probably because of their more aggressive immune system.<\/p>\n

Enter the genetically engineered bull.<\/p>\n

Scientists used CRISPR gene editing technology to create two bovine mutations that should lessen people\u2019s immune responses to the animal tissue.<\/p>\n

The mutations knock out two sugars which coat the bull\u2019s cells but are not found in humans: \u03b1-Gal and Neu5Gc.<\/p>\n

\u2018The objective is to have animals that express tissues that are less foreign to the human body,\u2019 said Dr Emanuele Cozzi, coordinator of a project called\u00a0TRANSLINK<\/a>, which has been trying to improve the long-term success of heart valve replacements.<\/p>\n

In theory this means people\u2019s immune systems will be less likely to attack the animal tissue, added Dr Cozzi, who is director of the Transplant Immunology Unit at Padua University Hospital in Italy.<\/p>\n

Clone<\/strong><\/p>\n

As part the project, an Italian company,\u00a0Avantea<\/a>, created bovine cells with the two mutations and used them to clone a bull with a technique similar to the one that produced\u00a0Dolly the sheep<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are the first to make cattle (with these) mutations,\u2019 said Professor Cesare Galli, co-founder of Avantea.<\/p>\n

\u2018The cloning step is required \u2026 to make the founder animals. Then they can breed normally,\u2019 said Prof. Galli.<\/p>\n

Avantea had created the same mutations in pig cells using a technology called Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) to edit the DNA, before CRISPR was available.<\/p>\n

\u2018With CRISPR it is much easier to prepare the reagents that are needed to implement the system,\u2019 said Prof. Galli.<\/p>\n

That makes CRISPR cheaper because the reagents can be prepared in-house. However, in theory at least, it is less accurate, he added.\u00a0\u2018<\/strong>Being less precise in recognising the sequence to cut, there is the risk of undesired cuts – this is a risk that has yet to be quantified.\u2019<\/p>\n

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‘The animals we generated could have a potential application for food consumption, at least for people who do not tolerate red meat.’<\/p>\n

Professor Cesare Galli, co-founder, Avantea, Italy<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Quality of life<\/strong><\/p>\n

About 100,000 people a year are given synthetic heart valves because they are too young to receive the animal tissue version.<\/p>\n

But these valves can lead to dangerous blood clots forming, so patients have to live on anticoagulants that impose \u2018severe limitations\u2019 on a young person\u2019s life, says\u00a0Dr Cozzi.<\/p>\n

People have to avoid competitive sports and jobs with a high risk of injury, like construction or some police work.<\/p>\n

\u2018If an accident occurs while on duty (they) may bleed to death,\u2019 said Dr Cozzi.<\/p>\n

Although preliminary data suggests that people\u2019s immune systems attack valve transplants in response to the animal tissue used, scientists need more solid evidence of this before they can recommend using the genetically engineered animal tissue, says Dr Cozzi.<\/p>\n

Other factors \u2013 including someone\u2019s blood pressure \u2013 cannot yet be ruled out as affecting the valve\u2019s lifespan, he says.<\/p>\n

To understand more, TRANSLINK is carrying out a study of 1,600 cardiac patients \u2013 the largest of its kind \u2013 to compare their immune responses to animal or synthetic valve transplants or other types of surgery. The results are expected next year.<\/p>\n

If the study \u2018shows convincingly\u2019 that immunology is behind the premature failure of animal-derived heart valves, it should not be too difficult to find potential investors who could bring the genetically engineered tissue valves to market, says Dr Cozzi.<\/p>\n

\u2018My hope would be that, based on the data of our study, we may change the outlook of young patients \u2026 (and offer them) a better quality of life.\u2019<\/p>\n

The mutations in both pigs and cows may pave the way for people to receive transplants of whole animal organs, Dr Cozzi says.<\/p>\n

Red meat allergies<\/strong><\/p>\n

The cloned animals may also benefit people allergic to red meat \u2013 a reaction which sometimes develops after they have been bitten by a tick.<\/p>\n

Scientists think the main culprit is the \u03b1-Gal sugar found in all animals other than primates.<\/p>\n

Anything from a steak to collagen used in cosmetics can trigger a reaction, which can range from a skin rash to anaphylactic shock.<\/p>\n

\u2018The animals we generated could have a potential application for food consumption, at least for people who do not tolerate red meat,\u2019 said Prof. Galli.<\/p>\n

Some scientists in the US are also looking at possible links between the Neu5Gc sugar and cancer. The World Health Organization has classified red meat as\u00a0probably carcinogenic to humans<\/a>,\u00a0although there is limited evidence.<\/p>\n

Millions of years ago, humans developed a mutation that stopped the production of Neu5Gc and produced a slightly different sugar called Neu5Ac instead. The mutation made people resistant to malaria, and quickly spread across the population.<\/p>\n

Pigs, sheep, cows and most other mammals \u2013 with the exception of deer and some dogs – produce the Gc form which is \u2018highly antigenic\u2019 in humans, says Prof. Galli, meaning it prompts a strong immune response.<\/p>\n

Chicken and fish do not, which is one reason they are considered to be healthier to eat.<\/p>\n

The cloned cows could be a useful source of milk for baby food, as it would be closer to human milk because it does not carry the antigen, says Prof. Galli.<\/p>\n

Avantea also plans to use CRISPR to create horses with the same mutations as the cows and pigs. Horse serum is used to make antidotes to snake bites, but it can trigger adverse reactions in some people. Knocking out \u03b1-Gal and Neu5Gc may prevent that, he says.<\/p>\n

The potential for the cloned pigs, cows and horses to improve people\u2019s health is huge. But for the time being, much of it is still theory, the scientists say.<\/p>\n

\u2018We have the tools now, but there is work to be done to prove whether there is an advantage or not,\u2019 said Prof. Galli.<\/p>\n

The research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scientists have cloned a genetically engineered bull which they hope will help heart valve transplant patients lead better quality lives and benefit people with red meat allergies. Every year, about 300,000 people worldwide receive a new heart valve. Whenever possible, doctors use valves made of tissue from cows or pigs, because the synthetic alternatives can … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":1084,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[172,335,37,79,24],"class_list":["post-1083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-dna","tag-gene-editing","tag-health","tag-research","tag-science"],"yoast_head":"\nGenetically engineered animals offer fresh hope to heart valve patients - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1083\/genetically-engineered-animals-offer-fresh-hope-to-heart-valve-patients\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Genetically engineered animals offer fresh hope to heart valve patients\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Scientists have cloned a genetically engineered bull which they hope will help heart valve transplant patients lead better quality lives and benefit people with red meat allergies. 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