Researchers from the J. Craig Venter Institute, the Friedrich-Loeffler Institute, and the International Livestock Research Institute have developed a reverse genetics system for African swine fever (ASF) virus. This system enables the generation of modified ASF virus versions using synthetic DNA and gene editing techniques like CRISPR/Cas9. The live recombinant viruses obtained from this process are used to study the ASF virus's behavior and aid in the development of safer and more effective vaccines. This method could also be used for other DNA viruses and potentially RNA viruses like Zika, Ebola, and Chikungunya. The research was funded by the Livestock Vaccine Innovation Fund and led by Professor Sanjay Vashee, with collaboration from Lucilla Steinaa, Walter Fuchs, and Nacyra Assad-Garcia.