With the commercialization of a disease-resistant pig likely in 2025, gene editing poised to usher in a new era of biotech plants and animals

Michael Le Page | New Scientist | January 7, 2025

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In the coming year, regulatory authorities in the US are expected to approve a pig gene-edited to make it resistant to a common and devastating disease. That approval could open the door to a much wider use of the technology.

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“We continue to make progress with FDA [US Food and Drug Administration] approval of our PRRS-resistant pigs, and are still on track for approval some time in 2025,” says Clint Nesbitt at Genus [the company using CRISPR gene editing to make pigs resistant to viral porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).

The rollout of the PRRS-resistant pigs will also depend on approval being granted in the major export markets for US pork, so sales might not begin until 2026. Once the necessary approvals are in place, Genus expects strong demand given the huge losses farmers suffer because of the disease.