Human-animal hybrids

[nomo]

A Dutch company looks to bring a protein created from transgenic cows to the American public.<br><br>by Maggie Wittlin • Posted April 13, 2006 12:36 AM<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2006/04/human_animal.php">www.seedmagazine.com/news...animal.php</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>In his 2006 State of the Union address—between thanking outgoing Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor for her service and heralding his wife's Helping America's Youth Initiative—President Bush slipped in a call for a ban on "human-animal hybrids." It's probably a phrase that brings thoughts of centaurs, fauns and harpies to some minds. But, despite the President's stern disapproval of mixed-species clones, we may soon find food products derived from them not just in our research labs, but on our kitchen tables within the next year.<br><br>A Dutch biotechnology company called Pharming has genetically engineered cows, outfitting females with a human gene that causes them to express high levels of the protein human lactoferrin in their milk. According to Pharming's website, the protein—which is naturally present in human tears, lung secretions, milk and other bodily fluids—fights against the bacteria that causes eye and lung infections, plays a key role in the immune system of infants and adults and improves intestinal microbial balance, promoting the health of the gastro-intestinal tract.<br>Advertisement<br><br>"Since the protein has the ability to bind iron, is a natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral, is an antioxidant and also has immunomodulatory properties, large groups of people might benefit from orally administered lactoferrin," the company literature reads.<br><br>Scientists have tested the toxicity of the protein—isolated from the cows' milk—on rats. They found that—even at the high level of 2,000 mg recombinant human lactoferrin per kg body weight—orally consumed human lactoferrin has no adverse effects to complement all the supposed benefits already mentioned. Pharming has, therefore, filed a notification with the FDA asking that their lactoferrin be labeled "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS). If the FDA approves this product, human lactoferrin derived from these cloned cows could be in America's yogurt, popsicles, sports drinks and snack bars within months.<br><br>"We believe that now we're at the right stage...to initiate discussions with nutritional companies and other food companies who might be interested in this kind of a product," said Samir Singh, Pharming's Chief Business Officer. "There has been some interest from these companies already; we should be in a strong position to commercialize the product later this year or next year."<br><br>To create human lactoferrin-lactating cows, Pharming's scientists introduce human DNA coding for the protein's production into the nuclei of fertilized bovine eggs. The cells that successfully incorporate the foreign DNA or "transgene" are then selected, and each is fused with a second egg cell that has had its nucleus removed. The fused cells are then implanted in a surrogate cow's uterus. If all goes well, the cow becomes pregnant with a transgenic calf that, upon maturity two years later, will produce milk containing human lactoferrin. Despite that one component of its milk, the calf is all bovine—but technically remains an example of the dastardly human-animal hybrid.<br><br>"We believe that the benefit with our product is that it is a human protein, as opposed to a protein that is of animal origin," said Singh, explaining why Pharming is going through the trouble of recombining DNA. "So, because it's a human protein, it will interact with the human receptors in the gastrointestinal tract."<br><br>The "humanness" of the protein may be both its strongest selling point and the label that will delay and possibly squash its eventual release to the marketplace. Surveys consistently show that Americans are wary of using genetically modified animals, specifically cloned animals, for food. In fact, a 2005 survey by the Pew Initiative On Food And Biotechnology found that only 23% of American consumers believe that food from cloned animals is safe, while 43% believe it is unsafe. <p></p><i></i>