A start-up is hoping to create genetically modified guide dogs that can live longer.
The group of Masters students from Oxford University claim to have found a way to use a gene-editing tool called Crispr-Cas9 to extend the life of a dog by altering canine DNA.
The team aim to “extend the lifespan” of working guide dogs as well as sniffer and attack dogs deployed by the police and military. They have formed a start-up called Forever Friends and will present their research to judges at the Seed Awards in London today, competing for £140,000 in prize money.
Gene editing works by “cutting and pasting” in new genes at specific points in the genome while the animal is still a foetus.
The Oxford team claim they could in future potentially “double” the lifespan of some animals by targeting a “suite of genes” connected to canine ageing. Forever Friends co-founder Laura Koran said they hoped to extend guide dogs’ “useful working life” so they can “serve their human friends for longer”.
The working life of a guide dog, typically golden retrievers or Labradors, is around seven years. Scientists at Harvard are already testing therapies focused on “age reversal” of pet dogs.
Genetically engineering animals is currently heavily restricted under British and EU law amid health concerns, including mutations being passed to other animals.
The Seed Awards were launched by the Chinese Seedland Group to champion projects that “integrate technology and everyday life”.
