Kashmir university creates history with India’s first gene-edited sheep

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“This is a major breakthrough at the national level. It is the first of its kind in India, and everyone at the university is thrilled,” said Dr Riyaz Ahmad Shah, Professor of Animal Biotechnology, who led the expert team behind the project.

Dr Shah revealed that a female gene-edited lamb was born four months ago. The team specifically targeted the myostatin gene, which regulates muscle growth, making changes at the embryonic level. “The gene editing was carried out using CRISPR-Cas9 technology,” Shah explained. This revolutionary tool has broad applications in medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology. Importantly, he noted, “The edited sheep contains no foreign DNA,” distinguishing it from transgenic organisms and easing its path under India’s evolving biotech regulatory framework.

“All international biosafety protocols were strictly followed throughout the process,” he added.

The university views this achievement as a major step in placing India on the global map of advanced genome editing technologies. It also positions SKUAST-Kashmir at the forefront of reproductive biotechnology research.

Experts say the lamb’s muscle growth is expected to be enhanced due to the gene editing, although a few years of observation will be required to fully understand the differences between the edited lamb and a normal one.

Notably, Dr Shah and his team were also behind the creation of “Noori,” India’s first cloned Pashmina goat, in 2012. Noori lived for 11 years before passing away in 2023.

Vice Chancellor of SKUAST-Kashmir, Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, recently briefed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha about the development. “This is not just the birth of a lamb, but the birth of a new era in livestock genetics in India,” Prof Ganai remarked.

University officials said the Lieutenant Governor praised the team’s efforts and their contribution to advancing scientific research in the region.

Looking ahead, the university plans to produce more gene-edited sheep. “We’re exploring possibilities in other areas like twin births and disease resistance,” said Shah. “For now, we are closely monitoring the lamb for safety and other parameters. Everything is normal so far.”

The team is also in the process of selecting a name for the pioneering lamb. “We’ll announce it soon,” Shah said.