Preventing Covid59

TL;DR

This paper proposes using CRISPR/CAS9 gene drive to introduce anti-betacoronavirus shRNAs into bats, aiming to prevent future coronavirus pandemics at their source while addressing ethical and technical considerations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel gene drive approach to combat betacoronaviruses in bats, with ethical guidelines and technical mapping.

Findings

Potential to reduce virus transmission from bats to humans

Ethical and technical framework proposed for gene drive use

No harm expected to bat populations

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 is the third betacoronavirus to enter the human population in the past 20 years, revealing a concerning pattern. Clearly, preventing a future pandemic from such viruses is a critical priority. Previous studies have shown that shRNAs can be powerful suppressors of RNA viruses in transgenic animals and substantially reduce transmission. Thus, we propose the introduction of anti-betacoronavirus shRNAs using CRISPR/CAS9 gene drive into the horseshoe bat population, the natural reservoir of those viruses, to combat this pandemic threat at its source. Importantly, our approach is not expected to create any harm to bats and can benefit other animals in the ecosystem that contract betacoronaviruses from bats. We map the ethical and the technical aspects and suggest guidelines for moving forward with this proposal.