THE FIRST GENETICALLY MODIFIED MONKEY HAS BEEN BORN IN THE US
The scientists who produced the animal at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center say their experiments may suggest a way to speed new treatments for a host of disabling human conditions.
The rhesus monkey was made from an egg that had been modified to include a simple jellyfish gene. This is supposed to make a cell molecule glow under a special microscope. But the researchers say the same technology could be used to introduce more significant changes, such as those that would make primates mimic closely human diseases like breast cancer or HIV.
Such animals might make better models of disease than the altered mice and flies already used in labs. This could hasten understanding of disease processes and the development of new therapies.
Accelerated discovery9
"We could just as easily introduce, for example, an Alzheimer’s gene, to accelerate the development of a vaccine for that disease," said co-researcher Professor Gerald Schatten.
"In this way, we hope to bridge the scientific gap between transgenic mice and humans. We could also get better answers from fewer animals, while accelerating the discovery of cures through molecular medicine."
The first GM monkey is called Andi, which is backwards for "inserted DNA". Many organisms have been genetically engineered. Flocks of GM sheep produce human proteins for use in the drug industry and engineered bacteria and yeast routinely provide human proteins such as insulin. But until now noone had managed to put a new gene into a primate, the class of mammals that includes humans.
’Morally abhorrent’
Last year, Professor Schatten’s team produced Tetra, a female monkey done created by splitting an embryo in half, as occurs naturally when twins are formed.
Both Andi and Tetra remain fit and healthy at the research centre, says Professor Schatten. But the news that science has developed the technology to turn monkeys into models of human disease has not received a huge у enthusiastic welcome - at least not in the UK.
The Medical Research Council, which funds most of the animal experimentation in Britain, said scientists were encouraged to use appropriate animals with the least sentience possible. It said it thought GM mice would remain the prime model for human disease in the country’s labs.
Professor Patrick Bateson, chairman of the Royal Society working group on GM animals, said: "Although medical benefits may result producing GM monkeys, this sort of work must be subject to stringent monitoring of any harmful effects on the animals welfare. Although it is often necessary to use animals to understand human diseases, some of the work on cognitive diseases, such as schizophrenia, can only be carried out in people. ’’
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Project aims.
Some groups went further. The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (Buav), said the Oregon research would inevitably mean more death and suffering for primates. Wendy Higgins, the group's spokeswoman, said: "This is just the start. Now we’re talking about small numbers of animals and gene markers, but what will happen in the future is that scientists will either add or knock out genes in primates to see what happens to them. The end result is terrible suffering. It's bad enough using rodents, but for scientists to play God with primate genes is morally abhorrent."
Professor Schatten counters such comment by saying modified primates would only be used in clearly defined circumstances. He said the aim of the project was not to breed hundreds and hundreds of monkeys for medical research.
"We wouldn't want to make a monkey that carries a disease unless we knew there was a cure right in front of us. Our goal isn’t to make sick monkeys. Our goal is to eradicate diseases," he said.
Complete these sentences using phrases from the text.
1. The scientists who produced the animal at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center say their experiments may suggest a way to speed new treatments for a host of __________ human conditions.
2. But the researchers say the same technology could be used to introduce more significant changes, such as those that would make __________ mimic closely human diseases like breast cancer or HIV.
3. This could understanding of disease processes and the development of new therapies.
4. "In this way, we hope to __________ the scientific gap between transgenic mice and humans.
5. Last year, Professor Schatten's team produced Tetra, a female monkey done created by __________ an embryo in half, as occurs naturally when twins are formed.
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6. Although medical benefits may result from producing GM monkeys, this sort of work must be subject to __________ monitoring of any harmful effects on the animals' welfare.
7. It’s bad enough using rodents, but for scientists to play God with primate genes is morally __________.
Roleplay
Dramatize a dialogue between collègues of Professor Gerald Schatten and members of Buav discussing the case with Andi and its future.
RENDERING
Here is a text for you to render and then to comment on, Use the given words and word combinations below:
ИСТОРИЯ ДОЛЛИ
Эпоха клонирования началась с сенсационной новости о рождении овечки Долли в 1996 году. Долли стала первым млекопитающим, клонированным из взрослой клетки.
Еще в 70-х годах прошлого столетия ученые доказали возможность клонирования взрослой лягушки. Для создания головастика понадобилась всего лишь 1 клетка из тела взрослой лягушки. Головастик оказался генетически идентичным взрослой особи, что подтвердило предположение ученых о том, что взрослые клетки содержат всю необходимую информацию для производства нового организма.
Однако до появления Долли большинство ученых сомневалось в возможности клонирования млекопитающих. Считалось, что каждая взрослая клетка млекопитающих выполняет строго определенную функцию, которую невозможно изменить. Долли опровергла это ошибочное мнение. Для ее создания была использована клетка молочной железы 6-летней овцы.
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СМИ бурно отреагировали на рождение Долли. Немецкий журнал “Шпигель” поместил на своей обложке изображение группы клонов Гитлера, разделяя страх читателей о скорой возможности клонировать человека.
Долли умерла в возрасте 6 лет от артрита и инфекции легких. Ученые пытаются установить возраст ее клеток. Долли была клонирована из клетки 6-летней овцы, возможно, возраст ее собственных клеток -12 лет.
Words and word combinations: the clone age, momentous news, mammal, to create a tadpole, genetically identical, to produce a totally new individual, cells, to take on specialist roles, a 6-year-old ewe, a mammary gland cell, to feature, human cloning, to be just round the corner, to suffer from arthritis.
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