of the most promising and powerful applications of genetic engineering
are in the field of medicine. Researchers are using it to diagnose
and predict disease, and to develop therapies and drugs to treat
devastating diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and cystic
fibrosis. Explore more about one of the common uses of genetic engineering
in medicine: pharming.
A highly experimental
use of genetic engineering is "pharming," which engineers
crops and livestock to produce medically useful products.
use recombinant DNA techniques to create hybrid genes: crossing
animal or plant DNA with a gene(s) that makes a desired protein.
(The gene could come from humans, bacteria, or microorganisms that
produce powerful proteins and enzymes.)
introduce the hybrid genes into animal embryos. These embryos are
implanted into foster mothers and carried to term, resulting in
transgenic offspring. The offspring produce the desired proteins
in their milk or blood. The substance is extracted from the milk
or blood, and purified. Some of the animals involved in this effort
so far include mice, calves, sheep, goats and chickens.
is similar in plants. The
hybrid gene is spliced into a plant, which then starts producing
the desired protein.
yielded drugs such as growth hormone, blood components such as hemoglobin,
and large quantities of certain proteins needed for research. Transgenic
animals are also a likely source of organs for xenotransplantation.
still in the experimental stage as a manufacturing process. Scientists
believe that pharming is more efficient than using genetically engineered
bacteria or specially cultured animal cells to produce drugs. But
first, pharming must overcome many technical, economic, ethical,
and social concerns.
Can we really get medicine from mice? Transgenics
is making it possible. Read this short article from Smithsonian
Breeds Down on the Farm."
work to produce medical products through genetics. More
Got Milk? Get Eggs!
research team in Georgia believes chickens are ideal candidates
to produce human protein. More
are actively researching ways to produce human antibodies without
animals be bred as organ factories for humans? More
Market to Market Links
From nutrition labels on food to crop verification software, information
is becoming a big part of the food sector of the economy.