The Food and Drug Administration (Food and Drug Administration ή FDA) ενέκρινε γενετικά τροποποιημένους χοίρους για χρήση σε τρόφιμα και ιατρικά προϊόντα. Τα ζώα αναπτύχθηκαν από την ιατρική εταιρεία Revivicor, και θα μπορούσαν να χρησιμοποιηθούν για την παραγωγή φαρμάκων, για την παροχή οργάνων και ιστών για μεταμοσχεύσεις και για την παραγωγή κρέατος που είναι safe for consumption by people with meat allergies.
"Today's first approval of an animal bio producttechnologys both for food and as a potential source of biomedical use represents a tremendous milestone for scientific innovation," said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn in a press release.
The pigs are called GalSafe pigs because they lack a molecule called alpha-gal sugar, which can cause allergic reactions. Alpha-gal sugar is found in many mammals, but usually not in people. Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), which causes severe meat allergy, can occur after being bitten by a deer tick. Although not specifically tested for people with AGS, the FDA has determined that GalSafe pork products are safe for the general population.
In addition to their potential for safer consumption, there are many potential medical uses for GalSafe pigs. They could be used to make drugs such as heparin, a common blood thinner derived from animal tissue. Animals could also be useful in organ transplants, as alpha-gal sugar can cause the body to not accept an organ. The animals have not yet been tested for transplantation, so further research is required.
This is not the first time that the FDA has approved genetically modified animals. In 2009, the FDA approved genetically modified goats that produce a drug in their milk for prevention blood clots. Chickens that can produce a drug in their eggs were approved in 2015, the same year salmon became the first genetically modified animal to be approved for consumption. But the GalSafe pigs mark the first time the FDA has approved a genetically modified animal for human consumption as well as medical use.
Any biological programmer wishing to use GalSafe pigs should seek further approval from the FDA.
