On May. 9, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that scientists have collaborated to produce the first gene-edited calf with resistance to bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a virus that costs the U.S. cattle sector billions of dollars annually.

Despite more than 50 years of vaccine availability, controlling BVDV disease remains a problem since vaccines are not always effective in stopping transmission. The study published in PNAS Nexus resulted from a collaboration between the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the University of NebraskaﾖLincoln, the University of Kentucky and industry partners, Acceligen and Recombinetics.