IAV is a critically important pathogen in terms of human health, food security and animal welfare. Despite coordinated international surveillance and control strategies, IAV regularly causes globally significant outbreaks of disease2. In humans, seasonal influenza outbreaks are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, resulting in an estimated economic burden of $20 billion dollars annually in the US alone. Swine flu has a major economic impact on pig breeding. It is estimated that the 2009 pandemic resulted in economic losses of between 0.5 and 1.5% of GDP in affected countries (https://www.economist.com/news/2009/07/27/the-cost-of-swine-flu). Modelling of future outbreaks estimates that in mild scenarios the cost to the global economy could be $360 billion, whereas more severe estimates suggest losses of up to $4 trillion within a year of the outbreak (https://www.brookings.edu/on-the-record/the-swine-flu-outbreak-and-its-global-economic-impact/), whilst simultaneously raising plausible alarms over catastrophic human pandemics through regular zoonotic transmission events. There is therefore a clear rational and need for the generation of IAV resistant pigs. Genome editing has the potential to generate livestock that are resistant to IAV. However, high confidence host targets that may confer resistance must be identified. High throughput phenotypic screens provide a powerful approach for achieving this with the development of genome-wide CRISPR Cas9 libraries based on the pig genome. We have developed a genome-wide CRISPR Cas9 knockout library for pig, enabling high throughput phenotypic screening for major livestock viruses. The goal of this project is to identify host factors critical for influenza A virus replication, thereby generating a high confidence list of potential targets for genome editing in pigs.
A webinar will be held on Tuesday 14th December at 13.00hrs (UK time) to assist you in the application process and tell you a little more about studying for a PhD with us. It will also give you an opportunity to ask any questions you may have. If interested in joining us please send your name and email address to [Email Address Removed] by Friday 10th December and we will send you a link to the on line meeting
ALL APPLICATION PROCEDURES MUST BE COMPLETED BY THE CLOSING DATE 5th JANUARY 2022
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