US cloned calves herald health benefits
US cloned calves herald health benefits
THE first calves said to be created combining cloning and genetic engineering, using a technique that promises huge benefits for human health, have been born in the US. Scientists at the University of Massachusetts announced their birth at the International Embryo Transfer Conference, Boston.
Although the three calves are males, five females will be born soon harbouring the gene to produce human serum albumin in their milk – a blood protein used in hospitals to sustain blood pressure.
The albumin now in use comes from the pooled contributions of blood donors, which carries risks of disease. Cows milk would be safer, suggest the US scientists, with 440cu tonnes of serum albumin worth £1bn needed worldwide.
The technique is expected to be used in the mass production of drugs for humans in cows milk. James Robl, professor of veterinary and animal sciences, and co-founder of a biotechnology company Advanced Cell Technology, sees the breakthrough as hitting the jackpot. The calves mark the most viable step so far towards "pharming" – producing pharmaceuticals using farm animals, he said.
The technology should have implications for the treatment of a number of illnesses, including Parkinsons, Huntingdons and Alzheimers diseases, he suggested.n
CLONING BENEFITS
• Produce pharmaceutical protein drugs for treating diseases such as diabetes.
• Provide cells for use in treating brain degenerative diseases such as Parkinsons.
• Development of cloned transgenic animals to produce spare parts for human organ transplants.