Kate,
Rabbits that produce human alpha-glucosidase are transgenic animals. When
they state that rabbit milk saves babies, it is a rabbit unlike any rabbit in
the wild. There is no way in nature that a rabbit would carry a human gene,
only in our lovely biotech world can this miracle happen. Transgenics has been
around since 1985, it has now gone commercial. Cloned milk and meat has been
approved in Japan for consumption by the public. Milk lactoferrin (which is
cloned cows milk--using the human lactoferrin gene) has FDA GRAS status in the
USA. NY Times writer, Nicholas Kristof in an Op-ed article last year wrote
that he didn't grow 3 heads from drinking it. I am glad that he didn't grow 3
heads--life would be very difficult.
According to an article I read dated 1999 there is a $24 billion global
market for human proteins. The mammary gland is a protein factory. Thus
scientists have found ways to imitate our human mammary gland through genetic
engineering. One way to genetically engineer something is through cell or yeast
culture (Agennix which sells recombinant human lactoferrin is an example of this
method). The other way to manufacture a protein is through transgenics (splicing
a human gene (such as the human lactoferrin gene) in an animal embryo. Human
proteins are used in the pharmaceutical industry to treat a wide variety of
diseases. We say breastfeeding is good food and good medicine. Yes, it is a
virtual drug store of medicines, free for the taking....
Here's a patent on transgenics filed in 1995 called, "Transgenic bovines and
milk from transgenic bovines." The inventors are Deboer et al and the
assignee is Pharming of the Netherlands which has collaborated with Genzyme
(Massachusetts company) for the enzyme replacement therapy for Pompe Disease (the human
enzyme rabbit milk product).
http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html
patent # 6013857
"The transgenic non-human mammals of the invention are produced by
introducing a "transgene" into an embryonal target cell of the animal of choice. In one
aspect of the invention, a transgene is a DNA sequence which is capable of
producing a desirable phenotype when contained in the genome of cells of a
transgenic non-human mammal. In specific embodiments, the transgene comprises a
"recombinant DNA sequence" encoding a "recombinant polypeptide". In such cases,
the transgene is capable of being expressed to produce the recombinant
polypeptide.
As used herein, a "recombinant polypeptide" (or the recombinant DNA sequence
encoding the same) is either a "heterologous polypeptide" or a "homologous
polypeptide". Heterologous polypeptides are polypeptides which are not normally
produced by the transgenic animal. Examples of heterologous polypeptides
include human milk proteins such as lactoferrin, lysozyme, secreted immunoglobulins,
lactalbumin, bile salt-stimulated lipase, etc., human serum proteins such as
albumin, immunoglobulins, Factor VIII, Factor IX, protein C, etc. and
industrial enzymes such as proteases, lipases, chitinases, and liginases from
procaryotic and eucaryotic sources. The recombinant DNA sequences include genomic and
cDNA sequences encoding the recombinant polypeptide."
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