Swine genome editing tools center for human-disease models
Official title: Resource: Swine Somatic Cell Gene Editing Testing Center
Funded at University of Missouri-Columbia · NIH-11393744 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A specialized facility will create and store swine models with human-like gene edits to test new gene-editing reagents and study therapies for human diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Missouri-Columbia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbia, United States) |
| Project start | September 12, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $272,263 |
| NIH project number | 5U42OD035738-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11393744 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with conditions that may be addressed by gene-editing therapies and who could participate in future clinical translation efforts or donate samples for related research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not related to gene-editing therapies or those outside the scope of conditions modeled may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This center will produce, import, cryopreserve, and validate swine models that carry fully human target alleles to test gene-editing tools. The models will also resemble human disease conditions to help determine whether treatments could relieve symptoms and identify when therapies might work best. The facility will maintain breeding colonies, oversee biosecurity, and provide BSL-2 testing space for evaluating cutting-edge genome editing technologies. Researchers will access these models to explore how new reagents perform in a relevant large-animal system before moving toward clinical trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from faster development of safe and effective gene-editing therapies tested in human-like swine models.
How similar studies have gone: Prior large-animal genome editing efforts have shown promise for translating gene-editing therapies, though this is a specialized resource that aims to expand capabilities.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Prather, Randall S — University of Missouri-Columbia
- Study coordinator: Prather, Randall S
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.