Question

Define transgenic animals. Explain in detail any four areas where they can be utilised.

Answer 1

Transgenic animals:

The animal whose genome has been modified to express a foreign gene (a gene from another organism) is called a transgenic animal. Examples- transgenic mice, cows, rats, rabbits and pigs.

Biological products:

Transgenic animals can be used to make biological products by introducing the genes that codes for those biological products. These biological products can be used to cure certain diseases too.

Example-

• Good quality milk with increased albumin content. Rosie, the cow has produced milk containing more amounts of human alpha-lactalbumin that has higher nutritional value

Studying diseases :

Transgenic animals are widely used as disease (eg. cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer’s) models to have a better understanding about the diseases and their prognosis.

Drug safety testing :

Transgenic animals are also used to study the effect and safety of a drug before making it commercially available.

Vaccine safety :

To check the efficacy, side-effects and safety of a vaccine, it is tested on transgenic animals or disease models before being introduced in human trials.

Normal physiology and development:

Transgenic animals can be used to study genes, gene regulation and how genes affect normal functioning of the body and development.

Example-

• Transgenic animals like mice are commonly used to study the function of genes and their regulation. This is because mice share a lot of gene similarity with humans.