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Genetic Engineers Aim to Create the Ultimate Udder

Like so many farm animals, cows seem to be taken for granted in today’s society. We sometimes forget in our day-to-day lives that cows
have supported our needs for thousands of years, and continue to serve as a significant source of both food and milk to our growing human population. Currently, scientists are using advances in genetic engineering to enhance the benefits we receive from cows. Many scientists hope that sometime in the near future, genetic engineering will create a cow that can make hypoallergenic milk, a dream for those with milk allergies. Surprisingly, this seemingly hopeful ambition of theirs is not as impossible as it sounds. Scientists in New Zealand have already conducted revolutionary research that has placed them one step further toward making allergen-free milk a reality.  

            According to an article from the Scientific American, one in twelve infants develop allergic responses to whey protein found in cow’s milk. Chemical purification of milk does not remove all of the allergen-causing proteins, and it also tends to remove nutrients so essential for infant growth. Scientists at New Zealand’s AgResearch center decided to go directly to the source of the issue. They created Daisy, the first genetically engineered cow to produce milk free of a protein found in whey, known as beta-lactoglobulin, or BLG. The scientists achieved this feat through a genetic manipulation process that interfered with the cow’s RNA and the BLG protein, ultimately destroying the production of BLG in the cow’s milk. However, as a critic at Johns Hopkins University pointed out, this research has only effectively eliminated one of the proteins known to cause milk allergies. There is still much more research to be done to create a genetically modified cow that produces truly hypoallergenic milk. Even so, every discovery such as this one puts us one step closer.  

            Despite the benefits we can gain from genetic engineering, how far can we go as human beings in using science to control the natural world around us? This is a question that many have asked in regards to the ethical nature of biotechnology. Emily Anthes’ compelling book Frankenstein’s Cat makes several thoughtful points on this issue. Anthes argues that while there are limits to how far we should intervene in the biology of the natural world around us, there are also many instances in which human intervention can produce enormous benefits to the health and well-being of society. She cautions us to not reject biotechnology altogether, because by doing so, “we’ll lose the good along with the bad” (Anthes, 54).  Anthes’ solution is to use our scientific power responsibly in such a way that no animals suffer in the process of genetic engineering. As previously mentioned, cows have long played an integral role in our lives; it is only right for us to eliminate any suffering imposed on them as we continue to reap their benefits. Genetic engineering can be used in such a way so that there are more positive outcomes than bad ones, so long as we use our position of control wisely and responsibly.

Sources:

Anthes, Emily. (2013). Frankenstein’s Cat: Cuddling up to Biotech’s Brace New Beasts.

New York, NY. Scientific American/ Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Stokes, Trevor. (2012). “Cow Engineered to Make Hypoallergenic Whey-Free Milk.”

Scientific American. Retrieved from: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?

id=cows-engineered-to-make