FDA Approves First Drug Made From Altered Animals |
Blood thinner from bio goats |
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Editors published 2/6/2009 11:59:00 AM
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The US FDA approved the first drug, A Tryn made by GTC Biotherapeutics, made with materials from genetically engineered animals (goats), clearing the way for a new class of medical therapies.
The injectable drug will treat patients with a rare hereditary disorder to help prevent blood clots.
To make the drug, scientists at GTC put DNA for the human antithrombin protein into single cell embryos of goats. Goat embryos with the gene were then inserted into the wombs of surrogate mothers who gave birth to baby goats that produce the protein-charged milk.
Genetically engineered animals are not clones but rather animals that have had their DNA changed to produce a desirable characteristic.
The drug received European approval in 2006.
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