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Pharm Fields
Farmers
could be cultivating all kinds of new crops if genetic engineering
lives up to its potential. Plants will no longer be seen simply
as a food source but as a new source of pharmaceuticals. Dr. Charles
Arntzen of Cornell University has developed a banana that is genetically
engineered to provide a hepatitis vaccine. (Hepatitis is a virus
that causes liver disease in humans.) Dr. Arntzen also uses potatoes
as a way to carry a vaccine against a strain of E. coli that causes
bleeding and fluid loss in the intestines. Potatoes have also been
genetically engineered by a researcher in California who created
an edible cholera vaccine by adding the genes for the cholera toxin
to the potato' s genetic code. (Cholera causes a diarrhea that can
lead to severe dehydration and possibly death.)
The potential
for new cash crops is huge. The potential isn' t limited to plants
though, livestock are also being genetically engineered to provide
pharmaceuticals. The following tables show you just how valuable
these genetically engineered animals are and what the drugs treat.
| Drug |
Animal |
Value/Animal/Yr* |
| AAT |
sheep |
$15,000 |
| TPA |
goat |
$75,000 |
| Factor
VIII |
sheep |
$37,000 |
| Factor
IX |
sheep |
$20,000 |
| Hemoglobin |
pig |
$3,000 |
| Lactoferrin |
cow |
$20,000 |
| CFTR |
sheep,
mouse |
$75,000 |
| Human
Protein C |
pig |
$1,000,000 |
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*Current market price of the drug and supply produced by one
animal. |
| Drug |
Descriptions |
| AAT |
alpha-1-antitrypsin,
inherited deficiency leads to emphysema |
| TPA |
tissue
plasminogen activator, treatment for blood clots |
| Factor
VIII, IX |
blood
clotting factors, treatment for hemophilia |
| Hemoglobin |
blood
substitute for human transfusion |
| Lactoferrin |
infant
formula additive |
| CFTR |
cystic
fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, treatment
of CF |
| Human
Protein C |
anticoagulant,
treatment for blood clots |
| Source: http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/Education_res/iastate.info/bio10.html |
In general,
animal is considered to be five to 10 times more economical on a continuing
basis and two to three times cheaper in start-up costs than using to produce the pharmaceuticals.
There is a
concern over this developing industry though. Animal rights activists
strongly oppose the use of livestock as "factories" to produce products
for humans. Many people believe that genetically altering animals
for human uses is ethically wrong, even though the outcomes can
be medically important, sometimes lifesaving products.
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