Animal Pharming Use of Transgenic Animals for the Pharmaceutical Production of Human Proteins and Drugs
Amit Negandhi
Shweta Pai
Keywords: Gene Pharming, Transgene, Transgenic Animal, r-DNA.
Abstract
Animal pharming (also known as gene pharming or molecular pharming) is the production of human pharmaceuticals in farm animals such as cows, sheep, goat, chicken, etc. by genetically manipulating the animal by Insertion of a human gene or any other foreign gene [Transgene] which codes for a particular pharmaceutical. The therapeutic products have a wide range of medicinal uses as vaccines, hormones, defense proteins, monoclonal antibodies which are secreted in the body fluids or tissues of the animal such as milk, blood, urine, semen or eggs, which can then be collected, purified and used as a pharmaceutical product. The first transgenic farm animal was Tracy the sheep, in 1985, which expressed high levels of human protein alpha-1 -anitrypsin.
This article delves into the composite methods employed in pharming, the applications and advantages and the commercial aspects. The operations include DNA microinjection. Retrovirus mediated gene transfer. Embryonic Stem cell mediated gene transfer and more recently cloning methods, each one having its own advantage. Pharming is useful in targeted production of pharmaceutical proteins and drugs, producing simple and complex human proteins in animals, which cannot be produced by traditional r-DNA coupled cell culture method. Finally, this article reflects on the advantages over traditional cell culture method, difficulties and initial high cost involved in producing a transgenic animal, and, once obtained, the ease of producing a large population in a short time by the virtue of cloning.
