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Indian Express
5 days ago
- Science
- Indian Express
Meet India's first gene-edited sheep, born in a Srinagar lab, now a healthy six-month-old
Six months ago, Professor Riyaz Ahmad Shah and his team at the Embryo Biotechnology Lab of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) in Srinagar celebrated a quiet success – the birth of a Kashmir Merino, India's first gene-edited sheep. But the team didn't rush to announce its arrival to the world – they waited, given the inherent uncertainties of scientific breakthroughs. The announcement was finally made last week after the results were validated by gene sequencing and standardised. 'This marks a new era in genetic research and has put us on the future path of transgenics in animals (inserting a foreign gene in an animal),' says Prof Shah, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry at SKUAST. Gene-editing of livestock animals is a growing area of research in India with significant applications targeted at enhanced meat yield and milk production, disease resistance and resilience to impacts of climate change. Prof Shah and his team edited the sheep's myostatin gene. 'This particular gene is a negative growth regulator. By targeting this gene, we can increase the muscle mass of a sheep by 30 per cent,' says Prof Shah. Talking about the significance of the project, Dr Naresh Selokar, Senior Scientist, Animal Biotechnology at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal, says, 'In the Indian context, this (gene-editing of sheep) is a very significant achievement, especially considering the trait (gene) that has been targeted. 'Given our population and the huge demand for meat, without gene-editing, it is impossible to change the trait of a farm animal or to make them disease resistant. This is already an easy and approved method for production globally… In India, we need to have more high-quality, disease-resistant produce through gene editing,' says Dr Selokar, who is credited with developing the first gene-edited embryo of a buffalo in 2024. It was in 2020 that Prof Shah and his core team at SKUAST's Embryo Biotechnology Lab — Dr Suhail Magray, Dr Muneer Dar, Dr Younus Farooq, Dr Nida Handoo, Dr Syed Hilal, Dr Abrar and Dr Nafis — embarked on their ambitious project. The embryo of the sheep was first kept under laboratory conditions for some time and then transferred to a surrogate mother, before being gene-edited in July last year. To edit the myostatin gene of the sheep, the team used CRISPR-Cas9, the genome editing technology, which won Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna the Nobel Prize in Chemistry that very year. The gene-edited sheep was finally born in December last year. It's now a healthy six-month-old, housed at a farm on the Shuhama campus of the Faculty of Veterinary Science. The researchers say it weighed 3.15 kg at birth and has gained 'significant weight' since then. 'We specifically chose the myostatin gene since the goal is to increase the muscle mass of sheep. Any technological advancement in livestock and agriculture is meant to increase the farmer's income and this is an important step towards that,' says Prof Shah. Their journey, says Dr Suhail Magray, wasn't without hurdles. 'We tried different techniques to get the desired results. We failed the first three times, before we got the breakthrough,' he says. In a span of 15 years, SKUAST's Centre of Animal Biotechnology has taken a leap from cloning to gene-editing. In 2012, when the lab was in its infancy, it developed the world's first pashmina goat clone, which it named Noori, using the somatic cell nuclear transfer technique. The birth of Noori was seen as a breakthrough in cloning of endangered species. Noori was born on March 9, 2012 and died in March 2023 when it was 11 years old — the average age for the pashmina goat. Their lab is now working on another gene edit — FGF5 (Fibroblast growth factor) — that will help improve the fibre quality of sheep. 'The beginning has been made,' says Dr Magray. 'Now, we can work on other genes as well that would help to make the animals disease resistant.' With the success of their latest project, Prof Shah and his team are already preparing for the next leap — transgenics. 'We are already working on combining cloning with gene-editing to enhance the technique but our next step is to move towards transgenics,' says Prof Shah. 'Transgenics is important if we are to produce proteins of therapeutic importance – if we can, for instance, produce protein in the milk of an animal, that animal will work as a factory of proteins; animals can be pharmaceutical factories, we can have anti-cancer drugs. But for that, we have to have controlled conditions and bio-secure zones.' A pioneer in genetics, Prof Shah was a PhD student at NDRI, Karnal, and was part of the team that's credited with the first buffalo cloning in the world. The buffalo, Samrupa, didn't survive and six months later, the team developed the second buffalo clone, 'Garima'. Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More
News18
27-05-2025
- Science
- News18
'Leap Akin To AI Revolution': Kashmir University Researchers Produce India's First Gene-Edited Sheep
Last Updated: The edited sheep contains no foreign DNA, distinguishing it from transgenic organisms and paving the way for regulatory approval under India's evolving biotech policy framework In what is being called a 'ground-breaking scientific achievement", researchers at a Kashmir university have produced India's first gene-edited sheep. Marking a historic milestone in the field of animal biotechnology, the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) said the edited sheep contains no foreign DNA, distinguishing it from transgenic organisms and paving the way for regulatory approval under India's evolving biotech policy framework. The gene editing was performed using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and adhered to international biosafety protocols. The feat was achieved by a team of researchers led by dean faculty of veterinary sciences, SKUAST-Kashmir, Riaz Ahmad Shah after a research of around four years. The same team had previously cloned India's first Pashmina goat – 'Noori' – in 2012, a milestone that garnered global acclaim. 'This path-breaking development places India on the global map of advanced genome editing technologies and positions SKUAST-Kashmir at the forefront of reproductive biotechnology research," Shah said. Shah said the gene-edited lamb has been modified for the 'myostatin' gene — a regulator of muscle growth. 'Gene, muscle mass in the animal is enhanced by nearly 30%, a trait naturally absent in Indian sheep breeds but known in select European breeds like the Texel. The introduction of this mutation through gene editing, and not through traditional crossbreeding, represents a technological leap akin to the revolution Artificial Intelligence (AI) is driving in the 21st century," he said. He said adding the gene controlling muscle development was previously undertaken in the US, China and European Union. They expect the muscle mass of the sheep to increase with 'small modification of the gene", he added. Shah further said this achievement comes on the heels of the recent release of India's first gene-edited rice variety, endorsed by the Union agriculture minister, and further cements India's growing prowess in genomic science. 'BIRTH OF NEW ERA IN LIVESTOCK GENETICS' Nazir Ahmad Ganai, SKUAST-Kashmir vice-chancellor, described the achievement as the birth of a new era in livestock genetics in the country. 'This is not just the birth of a lamb, but the birth of a new era in livestock genetics in India. With gene editing, we have the ability to bring precise, beneficial changes without introducing foreign DNA, making the process efficient, safe, and potentially acceptable to both regulators and consumers," he said. Ganai said biotechnology, in association with AI and other next gen technologies, is emerging as a key driver towards achieving a sustainable bio-economy for a developed India. Leading institutions like SKUAST-Kashmir can play a pivotal role in ensuring livelihood, food security, and sustainability for future generations, he said. 'This success is part of SKUAST-Kashmir's broader vision to build India's most advanced reproductive biotechnology facility, combining cutting-edge research with real-world applications for agriculture and animal husbandry. It also reflects the university's unwavering commitment to innovation, scientific excellence, and nation-building through biotechnology," he said. (With PTI inputs) First Published:
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Business Standard
27-05-2025
- Science
- Business Standard
India's first gene-edited sheep developed in Kashmir agricultural varsity
Scientists and researchers at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) have developed India's first gene-edited sheep using the CRISPR-Cas9 technology. 'Through gene editing, we have targeted a gene in a sheep variety that helps in boosting its muscle weight and would give heavier, almost 30 per cent more weight than normal sheep. We have got the offspring from the mother, and one with the mutated gene is distinctly heavier than the non-mutated,' Vice Chancellor of SKUAST Dr Nazir Ahmed Ganai told Business Standard. He added that the DNA of the mutated lamb, which is now three months old, will be sent to foreign research labs for further verification. The gene-edited lamb has been modified for the 'myostatin' gene – a regulator of muscle growth. 'Muscle mass in the animal is enhanced by nearly 30 per cent by disrupting the gene, a trait naturally absent in Indian sheep breeds but known in select European breeds like the Texel.' The feat was achieved by a team of researchers led by Dean Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, SKUAST-Kashmir, Riaz Ahmad Shah, after a research of around four years Shah's team had previously cloned India's first Pashmina goat- 'Noori'- in 2012. A few weeks ago, the Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released the first gene-edited rice varieties in the world developed by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) scientists using the patented CRISPR-CAS9 technology. The edited sheep contains no foreign DNA, distinguishing it from transgenic organisms and paving the way for regulatory approval under India's evolving biotech policy framework. 'The gene-edited sheep of the local 'merino' breed weighed almost the same as a normal lamb at birth, but within three months, it became at least 100 grams heavier than a non-edited lamb,' Ganai said. He said that when it comes to wool count, a gene-edited sheep won't be much different from a non-gene edited one, and both will give around 2-2.5 kg of wool. 'But being heavier, the gene-edited sheep would give more meat than a non-edited one,' Ganai said.
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Business Standard
27-05-2025
- Science
- Business Standard
India's first gene-edited sheep developed by Kashmir agriculture university
Scientists and researchers at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) have developed India's first gene-edited sheep using the CRISPR-Cas9 technology. 'Through gene editing, we have targeted a gene in a sheep variety that helps in boosting its muscle weight and would give heavier, almost 30 per cent more weight than normal sheep. We have got the offspring from the mother, and one with the mutated gene is distinctly heavier than the non-mutated,' Vice Chancellor of SKUAST Dr Nazir Ahmed Ganai told Business Standard. He added that the DNA of the mutated lamb, which is now three months old, will be sent to foreign research labs for further verification. The gene-edited lamb has been modified for the 'myostatin' gene – a regulator of muscle growth. The feat was achieved by a team of researchers led by Dean Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, SKUAST-Kashmir, Riaz Ahmad Shah, after a research of around four years Shah's team had previously cloned India's first Pashmina goat- 'Noori'- in 2012. A few weeks ago, the Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released the first gene-edited rice varieties in the world developed by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) scientists using the patented CRISPR-CAS9 technology. The edited sheep contains no foreign DNA, distinguishing it from transgenic organisms and paving the way for regulatory approval under India's evolving biotech policy framework. 'The gene-edited sheep of the local 'merino' breed weighed almost the same as a normal lamb at birth, but within three months, it became at least 100 grams heavier than a non-edited lamb,' Ganai said. He said that when it comes to wool count, a gene-edited sheep won't be much different from a non-gene edited one, and both will give around 2-2.5 kg of wool. 'But being heavier, the gene-edited sheep would give more meat than a non-edited one,' Ganai said.
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Kashmir university researchers produce India's first gene-edited sheep: ‘Birth of a new era'
A team of researchers from the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences (SKUAST) in Srinagar has produced India's first gene-edited sheep. The gene-editing of the sheep was possible after four years of research and will enhance the muscle mass of the animal by 30%, the researchers said. The breakthrough comes after the release of India's first gene-edited rice variety recently. 'As of now, this has been done at the research level,' said Prof Riaz Ahmad Shah, who led a team of five researchers at SKUAST. 'The technique has multiple applications. We can edit the genes responsible for diseases to produce disease-resistant animals. It can also help in the twinning of animals at birth,' he said. The team of researchers edited the myostatin gene of the lamb that is responsible for regulating the growth of muscle in the sheep. 'By disrupting the sheep, the muscle mass in the animal is enhanced by nearly 30%, a trait naturally absent in Indian sheep breeds but known in select European breeds like the Texel,' Prof Shah said. 'The introduction of this mutation through gene editing, and not through traditional crossbreeding, represents a technological leap.' Earlier, a team of researchers at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) had developed a gene-edited embryo of a buffalo. 'This is not just the birth of a lamb, but the birth of a new era in livestock genetics in India,' said Dr Nazir Ahmad Ganai, vice chancellor of SKUAST-Kashmir. 'With gene editing, we have the ability to bring precise, beneficial changes without introducing foreign DNA, making the process efficient, safe, and potentially acceptable to both regulators and consumers.' The project was sponsored by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Shah said, 'The gene editing was performed using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and adhered to international biosafety protocols.' The gene-editing technique, CRISPR, won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. 'The edited sheep doesn't contain any foreign DNA, thus distinguishing it from transgenic organisms. This can pave the way for regulatory approval under India's evolving biotech policy framework,' he said. A veteran scientist, Shah is also credited with the development of the first cloned Pashmina goat, Noori, in 2012. The Pashmina goat survived for 11 years and produced seven kids. With a specialisation in Animal Cloning and Gene Editing, Shah has also played a key role in producing the world's first cloned buffalo at NDRI, Karnal. 'The government is already in the process of making regulations for gene-edited animals. Once that is done, and it is allowed at the farmer level, it will have a widespread application,' he said.
