Researchers at the University of Illinois (U of I) Urbana-Champaign and the Universidade de São Paulo announced the creation of the world’s first transgenic cow capable of synthesizing human insulin in her milk.
This pioneering feat holds the promise of revolutionizing insulin production, potentially alleviating drug shortages and reducing costs for individuals managing diabetes.
“Mother Nature designed the mammary gland as a factory to make protein really efficiently,” said Matt Wheeler, professor in the U of I Department of Animal Sciences. “We can take advantage of that system to produce a protein that can help hundreds of millions of people worldwide.”
Leveraging advanced genetic engineering techniques, they targeted the expression of human DNA exclusively in mammary tissue, aiming for insulin production. Upon maturity, the team induced lactation in the cow using hormonal stimulation, yielding detectable levels of human proinsulin and insulin in the milk, although in smaller quantities than anticipated.
The team intends to clone the cow, anticipating improved success with natural pregnancy and full lactation in subsequent generations. Their goal is to establish a purpose-built herd by mating transgenic bulls with females to rival existing insulin production methods.
