Scientists produce gene-edited beagles Bailey, Alfie

Matt Walker said he spent years unable to pet a dog without sneezing before helping create one that, in lab testing, no longer produced a key allergy-triggering protein. On August 5, the Associated Press and other outlets reported that Walker’s New York-based startup, Kindred Companion Sciences, had produced two gene-edited beagles, Bailey and Alfie, using CRISPR gene editing. (nbcnews.com) The dogs were designed to lack Can f 1, which researchers describe as the major allergen linked to many human dog allergies. The work was reported as early-stage, with the company and outside experts saying more testing is needed before any consumer product emerges. ### Which protein did researchers remove from the dogs? The study identified Can f 1 as the target. Kindred Companion Sciences said Can f 1 is the primary protein responsible for human dog allergies, and a report on the work said the gene-edited puppies were bred to lack that protein. Walker told GEN that Can f 1 is a small lipocalin protein secreted into saliva and deposited into dander through skin glands. That matters because dog-allergy symptoms are often triggered not by fur itself, but by proteins carried in saliva, hair and dander. (nbcnews.com) ### How were Bailey and Alfie created? September 2024 is when the two female beagles were born, according to the AP report carried by NBC News. Researchers first edited the genetic code inside dog skin cells to switch off the gene responsible for producing the allergen protein, then transferred the edited genetic material into eggs implanted in a beagle surrogate. (genengnews.com) GEN reported that the team used CRISPR-Cas9 to introduce a single-base insertion in exon 1 of the Can f 1 gene, creating a frameshift mutation that disrupted production of the protein. Walker said the team did not add foreign DNA and described the change as one that can occur naturally in dogs. (genengnews.com) ### What evidence do scientists say they have so far? Laboratory testing found no signs of the allergy-causing protein in the dogs’ saliva and fur, according to the AP report. Walker also underwent a skin-prick test using extracts from Alfie and Bailey’s saliva and dander; his skin reacted to samples from a poodle and a goldendoodle, but not to samples from the gene-edited beagles. (nbcnews.com) Whole-genome sequencing also did not find off-target mutations or large chromosomal rearrangements, according to GEN’s report on the paper. That finding came from the company and study authors; the article did not report an independent outside replication of those results. (genengnews.com) ### Does this mean a truly hypoallergenic dog already exists? Arthur Caplan of New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine said the work could expand pet ownership for people with allergies, but he also warned it could discourage adoption of shelter and rescue animals. His comments underscored that the research raises ethical questions alongside technical ones. (nbcnews.com) Poodles and other low-shedding breeds are often marketed as hypoallergenic, but the AP report said those dogs still produce allergy-causing proteins in saliva, hair and dander. Bailey and Alfie are different because the reported goal was to eliminate a major allergen at the genetic source rather than reduce shedding. (genengnews.com) ### What has to happen before anyone can buy a dog like this? Years of follow-up are still ahead, according to the AP report. Researchers said they need to monitor long-term health effects, test whether the approach works across more allergy sufferers, and find a way to commercialize it at an affordable price. (nbcnews.com) Kindred Companion Sciences also hopes to test the technique in other dogs and service animals, according to AP’s account as carried by ABC News. For now, the named next steps are continued health monitoring for Bailey and Alfie and broader testing of whether dogs without Can f 1 reduce allergic reactions beyond Walker himself. (abcnews.com) (nbcnews.com)