Purr-venting a sneeze

Fuzzies? Yes! Sneezies? NO!

This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.

That darn cat hair messes with our allergies. Wait, it doesn’t?! 

The real culprit is a protein called Fel d 1 found in skin particles and saliva.

Sang Ryeul Lee and team at Utah State University used CRISPR Cas9 gene editing to alter the gene in domesticated cats! 

In this system, scientists use a guide RNA to tell an enzyme called cas9 where the Fel d 1 gene is located and clip it out! This method decreased Fel d 1 levels by seventy percent! Cats could receive this treatment before they’re even born.  

For cat lovers and those wanting a therapeutic feline friend, scientists may have a hypo-allergenic solution.  

Got kitty sniffles? This cure is purr-fect!


Reference: Lee, S.R., Lee, KL., Song, SH. et al. Generation of Fel d 1 chain 2 genome-edited cats by CRISPR-Cas9 system. Sci Rep 14, 4987 (2024).