ERR News – The Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences of the Estonian University of Life Sciences is to hold a public seminar today to mark the birth of the first transgenic calf in Estonia.
In addition to presenting the transgenic calf named Juuni (June in English), the seminar will examine the development of cloning technology in Estonia and its links to the pharma industry, spokespeople for the Estonian University of Life Sciences said.
A transgenic female calf was born at the Estonian University of Life Sciences on June 22, 2013 whose genome contains the gene of human growth hormone. It is expected that in the future she will produce human growth hormone in her milk.
“There are only a few cows in the whole world whose milk contains human proteins that can be used to produce medicine,” Ulle Jaakma, vice rector of research at the Estonian University of Life Sciences, said. She added that in the pharmaceutical industry introduction of transgenic technology is of revolutionary importance, as it allows to produce high quality drugs at a lower cost.
As a result of research, the competence for cloning and transgenic technology has been developed in Estonia. Transgenic technology also offers new possibilities for future breeding, allowing to breed animals that are more resistant to diseases or produce milk that is enriched with certain health promoting components, said Jaakma.
The transgenic calf was born as a result of scientific cooperation between the Estonian University of Life Sciences, the University of Tartu and the Competence Center for Reproductive Medicine and Biology.
Development of transgenic cloning technology was financed by Enterprise Estonia (EAS).
