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Cow Clones With Human DNA

Posted by timothy on from the only-fair-considering-the-post-office dept.

Valt writes "Over at Salon they have a interesting article on cow clones having human DNA. The cows are being genetically engineered to produce certain medicines in their blood and milk. Currently they produce 'immunoglobulins' ( disease-fighting human proteins), which are currently used to treat such maladies as tetanus and rabies. Nothing like a nice milk shake to cure a bad case of the rabies."

5 of 21 comments (clear)

  1. Script kiddies at Salon? by mselmeci · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Other scientists have already spliced human genes into animals in the burgeoning field of molecular pharming.
    1. Re:Script kiddies at Salon? by uncoveror · · Score: 2

      Cows with human genes are insignificant compared to Meat that grows on trees, which is now being shipped to stores.

      --
      The Uncoveror: It's the real news.
  2. Mad Cow anyone? by Domini · · Score: 2

    Perhaps care has to be taken not to promote Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Since this usually comes about when an animal eats it's own, and previously because they were feeding cow to cow. This time they may be feeding human to human, since the cows will contain human DNA?

    Not that they plan to use the cows for human food, of course... but what if an accident happened, and somehoe they got nitroduced into general cow populations?

    I know very little of this, but perhaps soneone in genetics can enlighten?

  3. Will this make it easier... by dpilot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    for diseases to jump the species barrier?

    --
    The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
  4. no milkshakes by tongue · · Score: 2

    They won't be making any milkshakes out of this milk. They'll be processing it to take the proteins out and put them into a medicine; this is just a cheaper way to produce the proteins than whats currently there.