More accurate genetic modification has created allergen-free
cow's milk and pigs that could serve as a model for atherosclerosis.
Two genetically engineered farm animals reported today
illustrate how far from Frankenstein’s stitched-together monster animal
biotechnology has come. One of those animals, a cow, secretes milk that lacks
an allergy-inducing protein because researchers accurately blocked its
production using the technique of RNA interference1. And in pigs, scientists
have used an enzyme called a TALEN2 to scramble a gene that would normally help
remove cholesterol.