PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Washington State University has unveiled a German-style sausage made with gene-edited pigs that is safe for human consumption – showing that if at first you don’t succeed, fry and fry again.
A new sausage made with the gene-editing tool CRISPR will soon enter the food chain after approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Researchers used CRISPR to make changes to the DNA of five pigs, ultimately improving genetic traits that would otherwise take years with natural selective breeding.
Jon Oatley, a professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences at WSU, said he hoped to demonstrate that food made from gene-edited animals is safe to eat.
“It’s important for a university to set the precedent by working with federal regulators to get these animals introduced into the food supply,” Oatley said. “If we don’t go through that process, all of the research we’re doing is for naught because it will never make it out into the public.”
According to WSU, scientist Blake Foraker used the 2-year-old pigs to make sausages. These sausages will be used to raise travel funds for the school. Oatley said that, despite misconceptions, the technology is safe.
“The original intent in making these animals was to try to improve the way that we feed people,” Oatley said. “And we can’t do that unless we can work with the FDA system to get these animals actually into the food chain.”