Preventing COVID-59

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.

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