Why are human genes used in the research?
The purpose of this research is to produce therapeutic proteins which will be used to treat specific human diseases. In most cases proteins produced from human genes are best suited to treat humans and are therefore the logical choice to be used in this work. Usually, there are no natural sources of these proteins, other than from humans, that would allow sufficient quantities to be available to meet demand. The production of therapeutic proteins in milk using this technology enables commercial volumes to be produced in a very cost competitive manner, without causing any harm to the animal or the environment. This will result in currently expensive pharmaceutical products being made available to the medical world at substantially lower costs, thus allowing greater access for patients.
