The advancements, challenges and future implications of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in swine research

Zhang, J., Khazalwa, E.M., Abkallo, H.M., Zhou, Y., Nie, X., Ruan, J., Zhao, C., Wang, J., Xu, J., Li, X., Zhao, S., Zuo, E., Steinaa, L. and Xie, S. 2021. The advancements, challenges and future implications of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in swine research. Journal of Genetics and Genomics 48(5): 347–360.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) genome editing technology has dramatically influenced swine research by enabling the production of high-quality disease-resistant pig breeds, thus improving yields. Additionally, CRISPR/Cas9 has been used extensively in pigs as one of the tools in biomedical research. In this review, we present the advancements of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in swine research such as animal breeding, vaccine development, xenotransplantation, and disease modelling. We also highlight the current challenges and some potential applications of the CRISPR/Cas9 technologies.