Transgenic sheep, awaiting milking. The sheep are offspring of ewes which have a human gene incorporated into their DNA. The gene is responsible for t

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Transgenic sheep, awaiting milking. The sheep are offspring of ewes which have a human gene incorporated into their DNA. The gene is responsible for the production of the protein alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), and is inherited by the lambs. AAT is produced in mammary cells, and excreted in the sheep's milk. The AAT can then be isolated and used to treat hereditary AAT deficiency in humans, which leads to the lung disease emphysema. About 100,000 people in the western world suffer from this deficiency. Photographed at Pharmaceutical Proteins Ltd., near Edinburgh, Scotland.

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Photo credit: © PHILIPPE PLAILLY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: aat, alpha--antitrypsin, animal, bioengineering, biotechnology, engineered, engineering, genetic, genetically, genetics, human, production, protein, research, sheep, transgen, transgenic