Transgenic animals and ethics

Transgenic animals carry and express a foreign gene that has been put into their DNA. Rats, rabbits, pigs, sheep, cows and fish have been made transgenic, but over 95% of transgenic animals are mice.

Their uses:

• Studying normal body processes and development: for example, how insulin-like growth factor works.
• Studying disease: transgenic models of human diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer's help scientists look for new treatments.
• Biological products: valuable medicines can be made in an animal's milk. α-1-antitrypsin, used to treat emphysema, is one. In 1997, the first transgenic cow, Rosie, produced milk containing human alpha-lactalbumin (2.4 g per litre). Her milk was nutritionally more balanced for human babies than ordinary cow's milk.
• Vaccine safety: transgenic mice are used to test the safety of the polio vaccine before it is used on people.
• Chemical safety testing (toxicity testing): animals carrying genes that make them more sensitive to toxic substances give results faster.

Ethics. Changing living organisms raises serious questions. GM organisms might have unpredictable effects when released into the environment. So India set up the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), which decides whether research on GM organisms is valid and whether a GM organism is safe to release for public use.

Patents and biopiracy. Some companies have taken patents on products based on the traditional plants and knowledge of countries like India. In 1997, an American company was granted a patent on a variety of Basmati rice that had in fact been developed from Indian farmers' varieties. Attempts have also been made to patent uses of turmeric and neem, long known in India. Industrialised nations are rich in money and technology but poor in biodiversity, while developing countries like India are rich in biodiversity and traditional knowledge.

Using a country's bio-resources or traditional knowledge without proper authorisation and without paying fair compensation to the people concerned is biopiracy. Countries now pass laws to prevent it. In India, the Patents Bill was amended to cover such issues, including patent terms and emergency provisions.