Gene-edited Beagles Could Provide Relief for Dog Allergy Sufferers
WHO:
ABC News - Matt Walker, a geneticist at Kindred Companion Sciences, created hypoallergenic beagles named Bailey and Alfie.
ABC News - Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine, commented on the implications of gene-edited pets.
ABC News - Dr. Jeff SoRelle, a pathologist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, discussed the need for further research on the gene-edited dogs.
WHAT:
NBC News - Scientists hope to commercialize the gene-editing approach to make it affordable for the public.
NBC News - The research is the first successful application of gene editing in dogs to create hypoallergenic pets.
ABC News - Scientists hope to test the gene-editing technique on other dogs and service animals to see if they can breed an allergy-free line of pups beyond beagles.
ABC News - Walker stated, “It feels just amazing to get to have a dog.”
ABC News - Scientists have to monitor the long-term health effects of the genetic tweak and find ways to commercialize the approach to make it affordable.
ABC News - The research is the first time such an approach has been tried successfully in dogs.
ABC News - Walker stated, “It opens the door to a lot more people being able to own pets. On the negative side, it may discourage people from trying to use strays and unwanted animals that are not engineered to be allergy-free.”
ABC News - The edit made to their genes is rare but does occur naturally in some dogs, making it unlikely to have any negative effects on the pups.
ABC News - The gene-edited beagles, Bailey and Alfie, do not contain a key allergy-causing protein in their saliva and hair.
ABC News - The research is the first successful application of gene editing in dogs to create hypoallergenic pets.
ABC News - Walker stated, “The feeling right now is sort of a mix of relief and awe and gratitude that it worked.”
ABC News - The technique used to create the beagles is a Nobel Prize-winning method called CRISPR.
ABC News - Scientists used gene editing to create two hypoallergenic beagles that do not trigger allergies.
ABC News - The gene responsible for producing allergy-causing proteins was switched off in the beagles.
ABC News - The research was published in the CRISPR Journal and is the first successful application of this approach in dogs.
ABC News - Walker's skin reacted to samples from a poodle and goldendoodle but not from the gene-edited beagles.
WHERE:
ABC News - Matt Walker lives in New York, while Alfie lives in Florida with another Kindred scientist.
ABC News - The research was conducted at Kindred Companion Sciences.
WHEN:
ABC News - The beagles were born in September 2024.
ABC News - The research was published on a Wednesday.
WHY:
NBC News - Experts not involved with the effort say the development could hurt shelter and rescue animals waiting to be adopted.
ABC News - The gene editing aims to provide relief for millions suffering from dog-related allergies, but experts warn it may discourage adoption of shelter animals.
ABC News - The gene editing aims to provide relief for the millions who suffer from dog-related allergies.
ABC News - Caplan noted that the development could discourage people from adopting shelter and rescue animals.
HOW:
NBC News - The scientists edited the genetic code inside dog skin cells, switching off the main gene responsible for producing allergy-causing proteins.
NBC News - The switched-off gene is the main — but not the only — allergy-causing culprit in dogs that was tested.
ABC News - Researchers have tried to create hypoallergenic pets before, mostly using cloning, which led to sicker pups that were too genetically similar.
ABC News - The scientists tested the gene-edited hypoallergenic dogs on more people with pet allergies to ensure they can soothe symptoms across a broader swath of the human population.
ABC News - The scientists edited the genetic code inside dog skin cells and transferred the edited code into eggs implanted in a beagle surrogate.
ABC News - The scientists edited the genetic code inside dog skin cells using a technique called CRISPR.
ABC News - The edited genetic code was transferred into eggs that were implanted in a beagle surrogate.
(UPDATED August 6, 2026 13:31 UTC)
Scientists have achieved a significant breakthrough by successfully applying gene editing in dogs to create hypoallergenic pets, and they hope to commercialize this approach to make it affordable for the public. This innovative research involved editing the genetic code inside dog skin cells to switch off the main gene responsible for producing allergy-causing proteins. As a result, pet lovers with allergies may soon have the option of owning a dog that doesn't trigger their sensitivities.
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(UPDATED August 6, 2026 05:02 UTC)
Scientists are excited about a new gene-editing technique aimed at breeding allergy-free dogs, with plans to expand testing beyond beagles to include other service animals. Walker expressed his joy, stating, “It feels just amazing to get to have a dog.” However, experts not involved in the research warn that this development could negatively impact shelter and rescue animals that are currently waiting for adoption.
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(UPDATED August 5, 2026 23:51 UTC)
Scientists have successfully tested a new approach to create hypoallergenic dogs, marking the first time such a method has been tried with canines. The gene edit made to these dogs is rare but occurs naturally in some breeds, suggesting it is unlikely to have negative effects on their health. However, Walker cautioned that while this breakthrough could make pet ownership more accessible, it might also discourage people from adopting strays and unwanted animals that haven't been engineered for allergy-free living.
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(UPDATED August 5, 2026 16:09 UTC)
Scientists have successfully created gene-edited beagles, named Bailey and Alfie, who do not produce a key allergy-causing protein in their saliva and hair, marking a groundbreaking application of gene editing in dogs to develop hypoallergenic pets. Using the Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR technique, researchers edited the genetic code in dog skin cells and transferred it into eggs implanted in a beagle surrogate, leading to this remarkable achievement. Walker expressed a mix of relief, awe, and gratitude that the project worked, as it aims to provide relief for millions suffering from dog-related allergies, though experts caution it might discourage the adoption of shelter animals.
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(UPDATED August 5, 2026 13:43 UTC)
Scientists have successfully created two hypoallergenic beagles named Bailey and Alfie through gene editing, which involved switching off the gene responsible for producing allergy-causing proteins. This groundbreaking research, conducted at Kindred Companion Sciences and published in the CRISPR Journal, aims to help the millions suffering from dog-related allergies, although bioethicist Arthur Caplan warns it may discourage adoption of shelter animals. Matt Walker, the geneticist behind the project, experienced allergic reactions to samples from other breeds but found no reaction to the gene-edited beagles.