Series 3, episode 5 – Genetics – TX Monday 11th December
After decades of promise, the science of gene therapy, where ‘bad genes’ are removed or replaced is finally starting to deliver and one of the best examples of this is happening right here in Ireland. TCD’s Prof Jane Farrar has developed a treatment for an inherited form of blindness called retinitis pigmentosa in which a genetic mutation leads to damage of the retina and a gradual loss of sight. The treatment, which is based on correcting that mutation, will soon provide the first cure for people suffering from this form of sight loss, and we meet Jane to find out about the exciting prospects for Ocular Gene Therapy. Incredibly, this work didn’t begin with scientists in labs – it was initiated 30 years ago by members of the public who suffered from inherited genetic eye conditions. They wanted to find out more about the condition and because there was no treatment they raised funds to kick start the ocular science department of Trinity College! The group are taking samples from everyone in Ireland who is known to have an inherited genetic retinal condition to create an extensive DNA Next Generation Genetic Sequencing database.
In Athenry, Noirin McHugh is working on the Teagasc INZAC Flock project which is comparing genetic differences between Irish and New Zealand sheep. Imported to Ireland in 2014 & 2015, the New Zealand ewes were selected based on their superiority for maternal type traits. By collecting information on lambing, growth, health, feed intake and carcass traits, the primary goal is to increase understanding of genetics, and potentially breed Irish sheep with NZ sheep (which is currently being trialled on selected Irish farms) to improve the yield and general practice.
And what would happen if you could change the function of a gene, take away the gene completely, or make the gene more active? Though not without controversy, Gene Editing is an incredibly exciting prospect in the world of molecular biology with CRISPR emerging as a hugely powerful technology that’s being used to explore gene function and genome editing in animals and in plants. Agricultural science has been the first field to benefit from the technology and we meet the plant researchers who are investigating the use of ‘biological scissors’ to achieve the same outcome as we can get from traditional breeding, just faster. We meet Alison Van Eenennaam, leading Animal Genetics Expert from the University of California to discuss the future of gene editing technologies, while Dr Siobhán O’Sullivan explains the ethical challenges that must be considered alongside with any genetic advances.
Barley is the fourth largest cereal crop after maize, rice and wheat with 132 million tonnes produced annually. For thousands of years, barley has contained disease resistant genes that are hugely important in terms of successful harvests, but 2017 has been a particularly bad year for the crop, so could gene editing benefit Irish farmers? Recently, we’ve discovered that these resistance genes (r-genes) have become susceptible genes (s-genes) and the plants are far more likely to become diseased. However scientists have discovered that by simply turning off these genes, they can turn those s-genes back into r-genes, effectively resetting their natural resistance and protecting the plants from disease, potentially for a further thousand years! We meet Teagasc Plant Geneticist Ewen Mullins to find out more…
And in Weird Science, Fergus asks if advances in gene editing could enable the return of a prehistoric animal from extinction in the form of a ‘mammophant’!
Series overview
Revealing secrets of the earth and stars, and blurring lines between minds and machines, Irish scientists have their fingers on the pulse! Aoibhinn, Jonathan and Kathriona are back and checking out all the latest incredible developments in Irish research. This year we will see them up in the skies and deep underground, across Ireland and Europe, investigating the projects that will impact on all our lives.
Highlights include: the alarming rise of Superbugs; the race to recreate the awesome power of the sun; Gene therapies that could provide the answer to some devastating conditions such as blindness; Secrets under the earth’s surface that threaten but also sustain our way of living; mind controlled technology and lifesaving drones.
Perennial favourite, Dr Fergus McAuliffe, returns with his weekly Weird Science segment showcasing some of the more bizarre aspects of current research – from hipster beards that harbour new antibiotics, to brain controlled turtles and Jurassic park-style Mammoths!
SERIES SUPPORTED BY EPA, HEA, Irish Research Council, RTÉ, SEAI and Teagasc.
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