Biotechnology for the production of modified and innovative animal products: transgenic livestock bioreactors

The ability to modify mammary gland function through genetic engineering pr ovides an opportunity to investigate mechanism of breast cancer, enhance th e nutritional quality of milk and synthesize compounds designed as medicine . It is argued that mammary glands are an ideal site for producing complex bioactive proteins that can be harvested and purified in a cost effective m anner. The objective of the emerging 'gene pharming' industry is to produce pharmaceuticals for treating human diseases. Consequently, during the past decade, approximately a dozen companies many of them new ventures, have fo cused their attention on capturing an estimated 3 billion USD annual market for transgenic bioreactor-produced pharmaceuticals. Several products produ ced in this way are currently in various phases of human clinical trials. T he potential profitability of 'gene pharming' looks very promising. (C) 199 9 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.