Guest guest Posted March 15, 2000 Report Share Posted March 15, 2000 whats really disgusting is that people/scientists use pigs organs because we are so SIMILAR and yet then people eat them because pigs are so " different " . Yeh. THAT makes sense. So eat the pigs, use the pigs organs and wear the pig. And what do the pigs get from this? Sick is right Anj. Peace, Bliss " anji b " <vegan Wed, 15 Mar 2000 23:52:59 +0500 Dolly’s creators clone pigs > " anji b " <vegan > > March 14 — The group that created Dolly the sheep, the world’s first clone of an adult mammal, has produced the first cloned pigs, raising hopes of a new source of transplants for humans. > > PPL THERAPEUTICS, which cloned Dolly three years ago, said today that five healthy piglets were born March 5 in Blacksburg, Va. They were cloned from an adult sow using a slightly different technique than the one that produced Dolly. > > Independent tests of the DNA of the piglets — named Millie, Christa, Alexis, Carrel and Dotcom — confirmed they were clones of the sow, the company said. > Scientists have been studying pigs for several years as potential organ donors for people. The cloning might hold out hope that pigs could be genetically engineered so that their organs or cells would be more readily accepted by the human body, making them more easily transplantable. > > “I think this is a big step forward they’ve made. I applaud it,” said Dr. Fritz Bach of Harvard Medical School, who studies genetic and immunological aspects of transplants from animals to people. > > Genetic engineering is one potential benefit, Bach said. In addition, scientists could simply clone pigs that prove exceptionally well-suited for transplants to humans, he said. But Bach stressed that ethical issues about animal-to-human transplants, mainly the risk of introducing new germs to humans, must be solved before such procedures are done. > > Imutran, a Cambridge, England-based company that is pursuing similar research, called PPL’s announcement “interesting news.” > > “It is potentially a useful technology to develop new lines of pigs for (transplant),” the company said. “However, the next step is to see if the technology can be applied to developing genetically modified animals whose organs can be transplanted into humans without being rejected.” > > PPL, based in Edinburgh, Scotland, said transplantation of genetically altered pig organs could be tested on humans in four years and that analysts believe the market for them could be worth $6 billion. > > PPL scientists plan to try to “knock out” a gene responsible for incorporating in pig cells a sugar group recognized by the human immune system as foreign. The gene triggers an immune response in the human body, prompting it to reject the organ. > > Three new genes would then be introduced into the pig cells, and the transplant patient would receive a blood transfusion containing modified cells taken from the pig supplying the organ. Scientists hope this process will reduce long-term rejection of the transplanted organ. > > “All the known technical hurdles have been overcome,” said Ron James, PPL’s managing director. “It is now a case of combining the various strategies into one male and one female pig and breeding from these.” > > The idea of using animal organs for transplant, known as xenotransplantation, is controversial because some believe diseases could cross from pigs to humans. But scientists are excited by the prospect of using animal organs for transplant because of the shortage of human organs. > > Many people die while waiting for a transplant, and experts hope that pigs will be able to provide a steady supply of organs. > > “An end to the chronic organ shortage is now in sight,” James said. > > The names of the first cloned piglets each have their own significance. Millie was named for the millennium. Christa, Alexis and Carrel were named after Dr. Christiaan Barnard, who performed the first human heart transplant, and Dr. Alexis Carrel, who won the Nobel prize in 1912 for his work in the field of transplantation. > > And as for Dotcom ... > “Any association with dotcoms right now seems to have a very positive influence on a company’s valuation,” said James. > > > > (Interesting how the ethical issue raised was about the risk of introducing new germs to humans. Sick sick sick!) > > <A HREF= " http://www.msnbc.com/news/382040.asp " TARGET= " _new " ><FONT COLOR= " BLUE " >http://www.msnbc.com/news/382040.asp</FONT></A> > -- > _____________ > Free email services provided by <A HREF= " http://www.goodkarmamail.com " TARGET= " _new " ><FONT COLOR= " BLUE " >http://www.goodkarmamail.com</FONT></A> > > > powered by OutBlaze > > ------ > PERFORM CPR ON YOUR APR! > Get a NextCard Visa, in 30 seconds! Get rates as low as > 0.0% Intro or 9.9% Fixed APR and no hidden fees. > Apply NOW! > <A HREF= " http://click./1/2121/2/_/651892/_/953146537/ " TARGET= " _new " ><FONT COLOR= " BLUE " >http://click./1/2121/2/_/651892/_/953146537/</FONT></A> > ------ > > > Post message: > Subscribe: - > Un: - > List owner: -owner > > Shortcut URL to this page: > <A HREF= " /community/ " TARGET= " _new " ><FONT COLOR= " BLUE " >/community/</FONT></A> > > -- _____________ Free email services provided by http://www.goodkarmamail.com powered by OutBlaze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.