77876Control of Campylobacter by CRISPR/CAS systemsClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKAgriculture faces many major and diverse challenges including the need to meet the demand for increased productivity in the face of a growing world population whilst being effective custodians of environmental resources by being highly sustainable. For animal production, achieving these global goals whilst ensuring the highest standards of health and welfare, which incidentally in the contemporary context of growing antibiotic resistance impacting on human health, must rely upon prudent use if not "no use antibiotics ever" in maintaining animal health. This is a stretching aim that requires innovative, disruptive new pathogen control measures. Growing poultry for meat is one of the fastest growing sectors for protein production globally. Whilst biosecurity measures and some feed additive interventions impact on health and welfare of the birds, the human zoonotic _Campylobacter jejuni_ remains a significant human health issue with poultry still the primary source of human infections. The latest available government figures show reported number of cases increased from 52,381 in 2016 to 56,729 in 2017, an increase of 4,348 cases ([https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/campylobacter-infection-annual-data/campylobacter-data-2008-to-2017][0]) and this rise is despite improving biosecurity management practices on farm and through the food chain. The purpose of this proposal is to complete the development of a novel, disruptive technology to contribute to the reduction of Campylobacter illness in humans by interventions at production level, in poultry. To date, Folium Science has demonstrated the ability to selectively kill Salmonella by redirecting the bacterial immune system, the CRISPR-CAS system, to 'self-destruct'. This proof of concept is now being developed for commercial release as part of control measures on farm to reduce the burden of this pathogen. The first product is a well established probiotic that carries CRISPR-CAS programmed to target with exquisite specificity all Salmonella serotypes. The probiotic delivers the system to Salmonella inducing inhibition of growth. The challenge that remains is to take this technology and demonstrate that it can be reprogrammed to target _Campylobacter jejuni_ that, whilst having little effect in poultry as they grow, are major pathogens in humans. A programme of work to develop a pre-commercial prototype "Guided Biotic" specific for the control of _C. jejuni_ was interrupted at the design stage by laboratory closure and furlough of staff due to COVID19\. This application seeks to restore the programme. Having designs already made the steps to a pre-commercial prototype include (i) validation of restriction of the target without any off target effects, (ii) delivery using current probiotic delivery systems. [0]: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/campylobacter-infection-annual-data/campylobacter-data-2008-to-2017