Essay Sample about Transgenic Animals

📌Category: Animals, Environment, Genetics, Health, Medicine, Science
📌Words: 1199
📌Pages: 5
📌Published: 30 March 2022

Transgenic animals are a new technological advancement in biotechnology that has a wide variety of future possibilities. But, what are transgenic animals? Transgenic animals are animals that have been genetically modified by having DNA from other species transferred into their genome. Since this is such a new and broad technology, it has not yet been fully explored, however, some benefits of it have been found. One field in which transgenic animals are being used and have been found to be beneficial in the medical field. These animals can be used to help combat the shortage of organs, drugs like insulin, and even help scientists learn more about diseases and treatments. So, transgenic, or genetically modified, animals are medically useful because they can be used in organ transplantation, drug production, and clinical trials.

To begin with, transgenic animals are incredibly useful in organ transplantation. Currently, pigs are the most commonly used animals to explore organ transplantation, due to their organs being incredibly similar to human ones. Still, until now it was impossible to transplant pig organs into humans, due to molecular incompatibility. With new technology, however, transgenic pigs with organs that are closer in molecular composition have been created. Hryhorowick et al. state, “Therefore, genetically modified pigs can become cell, tissue and organ donors, providing a solution to severe shortage of organ donors. Advances in genetic engineering have made it possible to modify the xenograft donor genome in virtually unlimited ways”. This quote showcases that it is, in fact, possible for transgenic pigs to be used as cell, tissue, and organ donors. By using pigs as donors for these things, we can help combat the worldwide shortage of organs. So, transgenic pigs are extremely beneficial in organ transplantation because they are very similar to humans and can create organs that will not be immediately rejected by the human body. 

The statements that pigs are useful organ donors, is not just speculation, it has been proven on multiple occasions. To start, there have been multiple studies done which involved transplanting pig hearts into baboons, “In 2012, baboons were transplanted with hearts from GTKO/hCD46 pigs. With added immune suppression and B cell depletion, the maximum xenograft survival time in the recipient was extended up to 236 days [17]”  (Hryhorowick et al.). This quote clearly states that even 10 years ago scientists were able to implant transgenic pig hearts into baboons. Not only that, but one of these hearts worked for over 6 months. And baboons are not the only animals with successful heart transplants. Just this year a live human received an organ transplant from a transgenic pig for the first time in history. This occurred in Baltimore, Maryland and the recipient was David Bennett, a 57 year old man who was diagnosed with life threatening arrhythmia. The surgery proved to be successful and Benett is currently in the process of recovery (Nature Editorial). Clearly, transgenic pigs are extremely successful organ donors, as has been proven in studies conducted on both baboons and even a human. 

Another transgenic animal that is incredibly beneficial in the medical field is the transgenic mouse. Transgenic mice help further research into animal drug production. Basically, transgenic mice were modified so that they would produce milk with insulin proteins. They were used as a model to see if it is possible for other dairy-producing animals to do the same. The results of the study were that, “The blood glucose and insulin levels and the major milk compositions were unchanged and the transgenic animals had no apparent health defects... In conclusion, our study provides supporting evidence to explore the production of high levels of human proinsulin in the milk of dairy animals” (Qian et al.). This proves that transgenic mice can produce insulin in their milk without dangerous side effects or other issues. Using this data, it can be inferred that since transgenic mice can produce milk with insulin, so can other animals. And this is exactly what Qian et al believe too, “Even if the lowest level of human proinsulin (1.2 μg/μl) were expressed in the milk of transgenic goats or cows, the average production by goat (3 kg milk/day) or cow (40 kg milk/day) would produce 3 g or 48 g of proinsulin per day or 0.9 and 13 kg per 9 month lactation, respectively. This rate of production would provide an unlimited human insulin supply to treat diabetes using a limited number of animals”. Using the mathematical calculations, Qian et al figured out that if dairy animals were to produce insulin in their milk, there would be an unlimited supply of human insulin. An infinite supply of human insulin would be incredibly useful and beneficial for the entire world. If dairy animals could produce such large amounts of insulin, it would become cheaper and more accessible to the public. This would tremendously improve the lives of diabetics and others with health conditions requiring insulin, since they wouldn’t have to pay as much and it would be easier to get. Therefore, transgenic animals are incredibly useful in drug production, since they can first be used as models to see if something would be possible, and then they could produce mass quantities of a drug, reducing costs and increasing accessibility. 

Transgenic mice aren’t used just for drug production, they are also largely used in clinical trials. One such example was a study in which transgenic mice were created as models for visualizing cancer growth using a technique called bioluminescence imaging (BLI). Manni et al. proclaims, “Several transgenic mouse models have been developed to visualize cancer growth and cancer-related cellular processes such as proliferation, tumor progression, inflammation and immune processes in living animals by BLI. These mice are not only useful for tracking healthy and disease processes in vivo, but also for testing the efficacy of therapeutic compounds”. These transgenic mice were used to study a wide variety of cancer effects, which could lead to breakthroughs in cancer research. By using transgenic mice, scientists are able to study diseases such as cancer in much greater depth than before, potentially leading them to gain more knowledge and create better treatments or cures. Additionally, transgenic mice are used to test these therapeutic compounds that have been created to treat diseases. MITO-Luc mice were used in this clinical trial, “MITO-Luc reporter mice would be useful to study the involvement of genes in cell proliferation and aberrant proliferation in disease pathogenesis. They will be also useful to study the effect of new anti/pro-proliferative drugs and assessment of their efficacy both on target and non-target tissues” (qtd. In Manni et al.). These transgenic mice are not only useful for studying diseases, they are also used to test drugs and treatments that may be used to treat other diseases. This is largely beneficial for the medical industry because mice are very common animals and when made to be genetically modified, they can be used for a wide variety of purposes. Therefore, transgenic mice are greatly beneficial for both studying and treating diseases. 

All in all, transgenic, or genetically modified, animals are medically useful because they can be used in organ transplantation, drug production, and clinical trials. Not only could they be used to help the worldwide organ shortage, but they can create large supplies of insulin and other drugs, and help study and cure various diseases. So, transgenic animals are incredibly beneficial in the medical field, and as a developing technology it should continue to be researched and used. 

One proposal that could further genetic modification and the usage of transgenic animals is to provide more funding to scientists researching and using transgenic animals. By giving them more funding, it will increase innovation and productivity, which will benefit society as there are more and more breakthroughs in the medical field. To summarize, transgenic animals are incredibly useful, especially in the medical field.

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