Compelling Benefits of Genetically Engineered Animals and Public Health
Terry D. Etherton
Genetically engineered (GE) animals provide innovative technologies that can transform public health through biomedical, food and environmental applications, according to a scientific report released by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).
The report, Genetically Engineered Animals and Public Health – Compelling Benefits for Health Care, Nutrition, the Environment and Animal Welfare, discusses how GE animals will enhance human health, food production, environmental protection, animal health and cutting-edge industrial applications. The report was authored by Scott Gottlieb, MD, of the American Enterprise Institute, and Matthew B. Wheeler, PhD, of the Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Gottlieb and Dr. Wheeler are experts in the field of genetic engineering of animals.
Genetic engineering is the deliberate modification of the animal’s genome using the scientific tools of modern biotechnology. By incorporating genes from other organisms in a process called transgenesis, GE animals are being developed to address five broad goals:
“There are now dozens of products under development derived from genetically engineered animals that hold promise of benefit to human health,” says Dr. Gottlieb. “But the practical benefits of this technology have not yet reached American patients and consumers primarily because of regulatory and political obstacles rather than the limits of science.”
The authors make a strong case for creating a regulatory pathway for commercialization of these beneficial biotechnologies. The Bio Report illustrates how the production of GE animals promises benefits for both biomedicine and agriculture. But Gottlieb and Wheeler agree that the science requires regulations that bridge the divide between food and biomedical products.
I have written extensively about the importance of biotechnology in the Terry Etherton Blog on Biotechnology. The BIO Report, Genetically Engineered Animals and Public Health – Compelling Benefits for Health Care, Nutrition, the Environment and Animal Welfare, reinforces the need for and value of biotechnology in society. The numerous benefits of of GE animals only can be realized when policy obstacles are resolved that are limiting investment in this research and holding back product development.
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