Interview with experts in the field of gene editing: Lai Liangxuan Researcher

Journal of Bioengineering: What is a Gene Editing Animal/Plant? Please give us a brief introduction to the process or principle of gene editing animal/plant preparation.
Lai Liang: Gene-editing animals/plants refer to the use of molecular biological means to transform the genetic sequence of plants and animals, change their corresponding protein expression, thereby changing the character and phytotypes of plants and animals. Genetic modification can be achieved through gene knocking, tapping, and single base replacement.
Journal of Bioengineering: Do you think genes edit animals/plants as food (meat) or food security? If it's safe, why is it safe?
Lai Liang: Using gene editing techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 to make gene-editing animals/plants, by gene knock-out and single-base replacement, only adding and subtracting their own genes, without bringing in external genes, without additional risk. The modification of the gene in question may also affect the expression of other genes, and may be able to express new proteins, so gene-editing plants and animals need to be evaluated for safety in accordance with national requirements before entering the market. If the relevant national requirements are met, this naturally indicates that it is safe.
Journal of Bioengineering: Recently, japan and the FDA approved the sale of gene-edited tomatoes and gene-edited pigs for food and medical use, respectively.
Lai Liang: The approval of gene-edited tomatoes and pigs for food and medicine is a milestone in the field of gene-editing, marking the entry of gene-editing animal and plant products into the market and a major boost to the industry of other gene-editing plants and animals.
Journal of Bioengineering: Is there a starting line in the research and development and application of gene editing technology in China and abroad? If there is a gap, what are the main aspects?
: Gene editing technology is not original in China, but Chinese scientists have made many improvements to the safety and efficiency of these gene editing technology, but also obtained a lot of China has independent intellectual property rights gene editing technology. Chinese scientists in the application of gene editing technology in the same line with their international counterparts, in some aspects, such as gene editing large animal model research even in the forefront, China in the world for the first time to establish a genetic editing monkey and gene editing dog model, China's gene editing rabbit and gene editing pig model the largest number.
Journal of Bioengineering: Around four faces, what role might gene editing play in agriculture and medicine in Our country? What support do researchers need to advance technology transformation, and what advice do you have?
Lai Liang: In agriculture, gene editing can transform plants and animals, improve production performance and product quality, such as can cultivate new species of fast growth, high nutritional value, environmental friendliness and disease-resistant plants and animals, promote gene editing animals and plants to market, occupy the main economic battleground. In medicine, disease-caused genetic modification of animals through gene editing, animal models for human diseases, disease research and treatment development, serving people's life and health, and gene-editing animals and plants can be used to build bioreactive devices to produce biological materials and bioactive products for the treatment of human diseases. In promoting the transformation of gene editing technology, researchers should not only emphasize technology and product innovation, but also strengthen the supervision and innovation research of relevant institutions to clear the way for gene editing animal and plant products to enter the market.
Journal of Bioengineering: China's science and technology field has a lot of neck problem to be solved, the field of gene editing is there a neck problem? If so, what advice do you have?
: the principle and use of gene editing technology is not complex, in the application of not too much neck problem. However, China should also strengthen the optimization and transformation of the original technology and the development of new gene editing technology, establish more effective and safer gene editing technology, so that China occupies the initiative in intellectual property rights.China
Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health Researcher, National High-Tech Research and Development Program (863 Program) key project host, national major basic research and development plan (973 Plan) and key research and development project chief scientist, China Overseas Distinguished Youth Fund recipient. Long-term research
stem cells, large animals, animal cloning, published more than 160 papers in SCI journals including Science, Nature Biotechnology, Cell and PNAS. During his tenure in the United States, he won the world's first gene knock-out semi-lactose glycoside transferase cloned pig, widely recognized by the scientific community as a key step towards heterogeneity transplantation, and was named the only landmark development in 2002 by the NIH NCRR Fund in the United States, winning the 2002 World Latest Medical Technology Award. Two of the results were named the world's top 100 technology news of the year by Discovery magazine. Cooperate with domestic and foreign counterparts to obtain more than 100 kinds of genetic modification pigs, rabbits and dogs with important application value in the field of biomedicine.