Colombia: With gene editing technology, they seek to reduce embryonic and fetal mortality in cows

The Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center is investigating CRISPR-Cas9 gene deletion technology to determine the role of glycoproteins in embryonic mortality in cattle. With this, strategies could be implemented to reduce abortions in cows. Ky Pohler, president of the Area of Excellence in Pregnancy Programming and Development at the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said the meat industry loses billions a year due to embryonic losses. “We are conducting a series of studies to evaluate what is really important for the development of pregnancy. We want to determine how much of the loss comes from the animal's physiology versus how much is genetic, ”he told Tri-State Livestock News. When a cow loses a calf or suffers embryonic mortality, the cow may not become pregnant again in that breeding season. (Read: This is how genetic editing in livestock farming would help production and the environment) To understand this phenomenon, Pohler and his team advance a project ...