Ever seen a glow-in-the-dark #chicken? Scientists are working to develop genetically-modified (#GMO) chickens that could block the #birdflu - http://clapway.com/2015/09/08/glow-in-the-dark-chickens-bird-flu123

English scientists are working to develop genetically-modified chickens that could block bird flu and hopefully prevent outbreaks among poultry and people alike.

BIRD FLU OUTBREAKS IN THE UNITED STATES

Since December 2014, bird flu outbreaks have killed 48 million U.S. chickens and turkeys. Apart from being bad for the birds, these outbreaks also pose dangers for the people working with the animals. Poultry handlers are at higher risks of bird flu infections, and if the virus mutates on infection, then the world could be facing a potential pandemic.

Glow in the Dark Chickens Fighting Disease

Researchers in the U.K. are now experimenting with a genetic sequence that, if exposed to the bird flu, can trick the virus into copying the deceptive gene instead of replicating itself. The GM birds are injected with this gene as embryos and they could effectively pass the modification along to offspring.

In order for scientists to tell the modified chickens apart from the unmodified ones, the GM birds are also injected with a fluorescent protein that causes their beaks and feet to glow under ultraviolet light. If studies support the effectiveness of the genetic modification enough for the poultry industry to use it commercially, the birds will not be bred to glow in the dark. But for now, we have glow in the dark chickens fighting disease.

Qualms With Commercial GMOs

The research, funded in large part by chicken-breeding companies from the U.S. and Germany, shows promising results so far. The GM chickens in the study did exhibit “slower affectation and less susceptibility” to bird flu infection than the unmodified chickens, but the genetic modifications are not quite ready for commercial use.

The industry may not be ready for the modifications yet, either. Producers and consumers alike still harbor many concerns about the safety and ethics of genetically modified organisms, and several companies have specific policies against breeding GM animals. The EW Group, one of the study’s funders, is one such company.

The EW Group is still curious enough about the potential benefits of GMOs to support the studies, but U.S. company Cobb-Vantress put their funding on hold until the researchers can demonstrate real commercial potential for the modifications. Even then, consumers may not love the idea. But the resulting virus-stopping technology could still mark a breakthrough for pathologists in a variety of contexts–even if we aren’t eating it for dinner.

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Glow In The Dark Chickens Are Fighting Bird Flu

Protecting against the #flu would make everyone"s #winter a much better #season. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/22/universal-flu-vaccine-may-save-humans-from-next-influenza-pandemics-234/

Scientists are joining forces to develop a new universal flu vaccine able to protect humans from all strains of this constantly mutating virus. The vaccine has already shown to offer significant protection in mice.

A universal flu vaccine

Though scientists still have to test whether the vaccine is safe and revolutionary in humans — clinical trials could begin in about a year — they hope the vaccine could prevent both seasonal flu and future influenza pandemics.

“We think this is a very simple, practical, straightforward approach to trying to make a vaccine that might offer broad protection in humans,” said study researcher Jeff Taubenberger, a pathologist and infectious-disease specialist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Save lives, dollars in next flu outbreak

Each year, scientists create a flu vaccine that protects against a few specific influenza strains. New vaccines must match the particular viruses that are circulating, such as H1N1, for them to offer protection.

Different strains of the flu virus can mix and match their genes to make news combinations. They mutate quickly and are able to evade the immunity from vaccines thus having significant impact of morbidity and mortality. These factors explain why the 2015 flu shot for instance didn’t work as well as hoped as the dominant flu strain’s genetic code changed.

Because vaccines are unlikely to protect against a “divergent strain” of the flu virus, or a new pandemic, scientists are developing a so-called “universal” vaccine, saving humans from a wide variety of lethal influenza.

“What we have done is design a strategy where you don’t have to think about matching the vaccine antigen to the virus at all,” Taubenberger explained.

A pre-pandemic vaccine

Researchers used a virus-like particle “vaccine cocktail” that expressed a handful of different subtypes of a key surface protein of the influenza virus. They hoped that the different viral proteins could stimulate the development of “cross-protective immunity” against multiple subtypes. To do so, researchers picked specific subtypes (H1, H3, H5 and H7) that have been the major causes of human seasonal flu outbreaks since 1918 and recent bird flu epidemics.

Overall, they said there are 16 different hemagglutinin subtypes that circulate in birds and are thought to be the basis for current and future influenza pandemics.

Successful in protecting mice

In a series of experiments, the researchers found that 95% of mice vaccinated with the “vaccine cocktail” were protected against a lethal challenge with eight different influenza strains expressing seven different influenza. Almost all of the animals that were vaccinated survived.

Additional experiments showed that the flu vaccine was durable; effective for at least 6 months, and that it worked well in older mice. The study was first published in the journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

What do you think of this new universal flu vaccine and future influenza pandemics? Share your views in the comments section below.

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“Universal” Flu Vaccine May Save Humans From Next Influenza Pandemics