Gene editing technologies in poultry: advances, applications, and future prospects

SUMMARYThe chicken is an important model organism for research and a major global source of animal protein (eggs and meat). Recently developed genome-editing technologies have allowed the production of genetically engineered animals for agriculture and food production. Genome editing in chicken is a promising approach to enhance growth, disease resistance, productivity, and welfare traits. In this review, we explore the recent progress of gene-editing technologies in poultry production, such as CRISPR/Cas9 and base editing. Genome editing in poultry has been applied to improve traits, analyse gene function and boost resistance to disease. While significant progress has been made, there are still bottlenecks in the scaling up and regulatory approval of gene-edited poultry. This review highlights the latest developments in genome editing technologies and discusses ethical, regulatory and biosafety issues, such as animal welfare, food safety and environmental risks.