[ad_1]
How cat allergies could be prevented early by injecting pets with a drug after researching the gene-editing tool
- A US company used a gene-editing tool to cut production of the protein in cats, causing some people to suffer allergic reactions.
- The protein, called Fel d 1, is found in cats’ salivary glands and skin and is transmitted when they groom and coat their fur.
- It is still unclear how expensive the treatment may initially be for pet owners.
Scientists think they may have discovered a way to prevent cat allergies with a simple injection for our feline friends.
The American company Indoor Biotechnologies has used a gene editing tool to eliminate the production of the protein in cats, causing some people to suffer allergic reactions.
The protein, called Fel d 1, is found in cats’ salivary glands and skin and is transmitted when groomed and stripped.
Indoor Biotechnologies says it has successfully removed the gene that causes Fel d 1 production in cells that it has tested in 50 different cats.
A stock image of some kittens. Scientists believe they may have discovered a way to prevent cat allergies with a simple injection for our feline friends.
If other trials are successful, the goal is to find a way to develop the treatment into a drug that can be given to cats by injection, pill, or cream.
The firm, which specializes in allergy medications, says it could be available to veterinarians within two to three years.
Martin Chapman, CEO of Indoor Biotechnologies, said that while it sounded “like science fiction,” it could actually be a viable solution.
“We want people to be able to take cats to the vet, get an injection, and then reduce or eliminate Fel d 1 forever,” he told The Times.
However, it is not yet known whether removing the protein would be bad for a cat’s health, as scientists are still unsure what it is used for.
Some believe it may be a form of communication for mating, while others think that it could protect cats’ skin from viral or bacterial infections.
Alena Pance, a scientist at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: ‘Removing Fel d 1 could be feasible without causing harm to animals, but this would have to be thoroughly tested.
“I don’t think any cat lover can harm their cat in order to alleviate their allergy.”
If other trials are successful, the goal is to find a way to develop the treatment into a drug that can be given to cats by injection, pill, or cream. Picture of a cat
Indoor biotechnologies are trying to figure out if removing the protein could harm cats by trying to kill the gene that makes it in fertilized eggs. They would then implant this into a cat to see if the resulting kitten with the mutated gene developed any medical problems.
The company says that if the solution is proven to work, it will likely only take one or two injections before a cat is less likely to trigger an allergic reaction.
However, it is still unclear how expensive the treatment may initially be for pet owners.
Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, from the Francis Crick Institute’s Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Genetics Laboratory, said: “ One of the main reasons cats are released to shelters is for allergy reasons, so It would also be a good benefit for the cat. ‘
