The highly pathogenic avian influenza (hpai) virus a/goose/guangdong/1/96 H5N1 (GS/GD) lineage has spread worldwide, causing significant mortality among wild birds, poultry, and humans

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded a $2 million Cooperative Agreement to Seek Laboratories, Inc. on February 2, 2026, under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025).

Seek Labs is developing a programmable CRISPR gene-editing platform designed to target and cleave the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 genome using chicken-specific expression systems. The platform aims to reduce viral loads in infected poultry, enabling faster recovery and clearing infections from entire farms, thereby reducing the need for mass culling. Unlike traditional antivirals that target a single viral protein or genomic region, the CRISPR approach targets multiple highly conserved sequences within the HPAI genome, reducing the risk of viral resistance as new strains emerge. Seek Labs is developing multiplexed CRISPR systems capable of simultaneously targeting multiple regions of the HPAI genome to further mitigate resistance development.

Work is performed in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a period of performance extending through December 31, 2028. The award obligates $2 million to support this therapeutic development effort aimed at addressing food security threats posed by HPAI-driven poultry losses and the economic impacts of widespread culling operations.

Outbreaks have led to the mass culling of poultry flocks, posing a threat to food security by disrupting both meat and EGG production, with global shortages, undermining vital sources of nutrition. This crisis highlights the urgent need for innovative therapeutics that can reduce viral loads in infected poultry, limit hpai transmission, and minimize the devastating economic and nutritional impacts of mass culling. A promising solution involves harnessing crispr gene-editing technology. Crispr's precision in targeting and cleaving viral genomes has shown strong antiviral effects in model systems. Building on this, seek labs has developed a programmable crispr platform designed to target and cleave the hpai genome using chicken-specific expression systems. This approach could reduce viral loads in infected birds, enabling faster recovery and helping clear infections from entire farms, potentially sparing millions of animals from unnecessary loss. Unlike traditional antivirals that typically target a single viral protein or genomic region, crispr can be programmed to attack multiple highly conserved sequences within the hpai genome. Targeting these regions is advantageous because they are less likely to mutate rapidly, ensuring continued effectiveness even as hpai evolves and new strains emerge. Seek labs is advancing this strategy by developing multiplexed crispr systems capable of simultaneously targeting multiple regions of the hpai genome, which greatly reduces the risk of viral resistance compared to s mall-molecule antivirals. Recent studies have used crispr for gene editing to confer partial resistance to avian influenza in chickens by modifying genes like ANP32, which are essential for viral replication. However, editing only one gene may be insufficient, as the virus can adapt quickly. However, further research to ensure geneedited chickens remain healthy and productive, and monitoring for viral adaptation, will be crucial for realizing the benefits of this technology while minimizing potential negative consequences. In summary, crispr-based antiviral therapeutics represent a transformative approach to combating hpai in poultry, with the potential to very quickly protect global protein supplies, reduce economic losses, and enhance the resilience against future outbreaks.