Pigs that are genetically modified to suffer from incurable human diseases

SCOTTISH scientists are creating pigs that are genetically modified to suffer from incurable human diseases – so they can be used by drug companies to test new therapies. The animals have a greenish tinge in normal light and when viewed in blue light they glow. This was done to provide the scientists with a genetic marker – a physical manifestation of how the pigs had been modified. The Roslin Institute was established in 1993 as a wholly-owned but independent institute of the Biotechnology and Biological Research Council (BBRC). Its antecedents, however, go back to 1919 and are closely linked to animal genetics research at the University of Edinburgh. The team of researchers is trying to produce pigs which are diseased with the lethal lung condition cystic fibrosis and an eye disease that leads to blindness in humans, The Scotsman has learned. Cystic fibrosis is an incurable hereditary condition that often leads to death in the early twenties. It is one of the most common life-threatening inherited diseases, affecting more than 8,500 people in the UK, including the son of the former prime minister, Gordon Brown. Retinitis pigmentosa is the name given to a group of hereditary diseases of the eye, which affects about 25,000 people in the UK. It is a progressive genetic disease that eventually leads to blindness. The work at the Roslin Institute will be the subject of a debate called "After Dolly… where do you draw the line?" Animal rights groups reacted with horror at the news. Libby Anderson, political director at Advocates for Animals, said

"It's depressing to hear this repeated focus on modified and mutated animals, when there is so much potential for non-animal research."

Genetic markers are sequences of DNA which have been traced to specific locations on the chromosomes and associated with particular traits. They demonstrate polymorphism, which means that the genetic markers in different organisms of the same species are different. A classic example of a genetic marker is the area of the DNA which codes for blood type in humans: all humans have and need blood, but the blood of individual humans can be very different as a result of polymorphism in the area of the genome which codes blood. That noted, it is interesting that we hear about the tampering of DNA is once again the topic of discussion, the data from these experiment are only used for the process of making drugs, drugs are not cures, they only prolong the agony of having a disease, not to mention that it creates a sort of experimental pyramid where that doctor give the patient the drug and the data on the patient is taken somewhere - where someone or group gets the information on the effects of the drug and in turn the patient becomes the one being experimented on indirectly, because as you should human experimentation is outlawed, so, there has to be a way around it. I think being outraged about the use of animals is one thing, but if you dig a little deeper humans aren't benefiting very much either.