The world's first gene-edited rabbit has been developed in Russia.

You're unlikely to see anything cuter today: a newborn rabbit named Rodnaya is tasting milk for the first time . Before that, the scientists had already experienced the most exciting part – weighing her. She weighed over 100 grams, compared to the norm of 60–70 grams. A month later, we were taking further measurements – she was 50 percent heavier than her peers.

"Her mother didn't have any milk after the birth, which was a Caesarean section, so Rodnaya is being fed, so to speak. She's used to the attention, as she's constantly being pestered. She's very soft and fluffy," noted our correspondent Daniil Levin.

The gray lump is the result of over 700 experiments by a group of scientists from two research centers. The authors edited a systemic regulator of lipid metabolism that is responsible for weight gain. The process is also known as gene knockout. In other words, the gene is simply removed to alter the body's metabolic processes. 

"A new era is dawning. We can conduct targeted editing and produce animals with specific characteristics, with specific traits—the traits we need. In its significance, this can be compared to a nuclear project," noted Gleb Kosovsky, Director of the Research Institute of Fur Farming and Rabbit Breeding.

It's hard to comprehend, but the female rabbit—appearing completely ordinary—can, in a certain sense, be called a new organism. After all, the planet has never seen an animal with such a combination of genes. Russian scientists , the first in the world to achieve this breakthrough, announce that the rabbit not only has increased weight, but also a different quality of meat—more juicy and delicious.

"This is, of course, very good for both us and the country. Increased meat production and a steady growth in rabbit farming in Russia. We're open to collaboration. If these guys bring us some or tell us to come pick them up, no problem. We'll take them and raise them. We'll try and test this rabbit," said Ruslan Zvyagin, deputy general director of the rabbit breeding company.

This interest is also explained by the fact that this rabbit has nothing to do with GMO technology. Transgenic technology involves adding another, foreign gene to the body , which causes accelerated growth of an animal or plant. This can cause problems and even abnormalities, but with Rodnaya, everything is done in a humane manner.

"It's very similar to IVF technology. Our colleagues from the Research Institute of Genetic Genetics obtained early rabbit embryos. We administered microinjections of the genome editing system. We then transplanted them into recipient rabbits—also specially prepared," said Yulia Silaeva, a senior researcher at the Institute of Biology and Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In the future, Russian researchers intend to test the experiment on other fur-bearing animals. This will also be a breakthrough in medicine for the study of various pathologies and their treatment. In the meantime, everyone is awaiting Rodnaya's offspring, which will be born in just three months. Her kits are also expected to be 50% larger than standard sizes.