November 3, 2009

An international group of scientists has decoded the DNA of the domestic pig, which could help develop a new swine flu vaccine - but only for the snorting animals.

The achievement of the GBP15 million project was announced on Monday (Nov 2) at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, UK, where most of the sequencing took place.

Professor Allan Bradley, the Director of the institute said this sequence provides a tool of real value in helping the research community to better understand human diseases.

Swine have a very similar makeup to humans and are often used in human disease research. Scientists rely on pigs to study everything from obesity to skin disorders.

Project leader Larry Schook from the University of Illinois said the pig is the ideal animal to look at lifestyle and health issues in the US.

The draft sequence, which is about 98-percent complete, will also allow researchers to pinpoint genes that are useful to pork production or are involved in immunity.

It will enhance breeding practices and offer insight into diseases that afflict pigs such as swine flu.

The US Agriculture Department (USDA) announced last week that six pigs from the Minnesota State Fair contracted the new AH1N1 virus over the summer, the first report of pigs catching the virus in US. It is believed the pigs caught the virus from human visitors.

Richard Gibbs, a Baylor College of Medicine researcher who was not involved in the pig genome project, said a lot of work remains before a vaccine for the animals could be available.

The scientists decoded the genome of a red-haired Duroc pig, one of five major breeds used in pork production worldwide.