Japanese researchers have bred genetically modified monkeys using a fluorescent jellyfish gene to tranform marmosets into a line of monkeys whose skin and fur glows in the dark. Researchers think this strange breakthrough could help study a range of infectious diseases, immunology and even neurological disorders affecting humans.
"The birth of this transgenic marmoset baby is undoubtedly a milestone," Gerald Schatten of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a colleague wrote in a Nature commentary.
By using these new and superior laboratory models, scientists have found that this genetic modification is passed on to a monkey's offspring therefore, the monkeys could be bred with genetic changes to help study a range of human genetic diseases through generations like Muscular Dystrophy and Parkinson's Disease. These transgenic monkeys are a great achievement. Not only are they useful due to their human similarities but they are able to breed to produce new transgenic offspring rather than creating new models from scratch, saving time and money. Of course this breakthrough raises ethical issues but Dr Mark Hill from the School of Medical Sciences at the University of New South Wales says these could be addressed with strong regulations that keep pace with scientific breakthroughs.
Posted by: Lauren Hughes 42037471, Thursday P9
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