Gene-Edited Puppies Will Melt Your Heart—but Won’t Trigger Your Allergies
Researchers have used CRISPR gene-editing technology to create beagles that lack the protein responsible for most human dog allergies. This breakthrough could eventually lead to hypoallergenic pets, though it raises questions about the ethics of gene editing in companion animals.
Why it matters
This development represents a significant intersection of biotechnology and pet ownership, potentially changing how we manage allergies and animal breeding.
As an undergrad at Harvard and then a research associate at Columbia University, he was using Crispr, the Nobel Prize–winning gene editing technology, in lab experiments. He wondered, could he use gene editing to make allergy-free dogs—and help his pet ownership dream come true?
The answer came in beagle form. Bailey and Alfie are two young beagles that can do tricks like any other dog, but they lack the protein that causes sniffles. They’re the culmination of years of work at Kindred Companion Sciences, a biotech company Walker founded in 2020 that emerged from stealth this week with the two pups in tow.
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