Genetically Modified Animals

Yana Shah- 29/07/21

Genetical Modification in Animals

Genetic engineering is a technique used to deliberately modify a specific characteristic

(or characteristics) of an organism
The technique involves removing a gene (or genes) with the desired characteristic
from one organism and transferring the gene (using a vector) into another organism
where the desired gene is then expressed
The genetically engineered organism will then contain recombinant DNA and will
be a genetically modified organism (GMO)
Although plants and animals have been genetically engineered to produce proteins used
in medicine, the main purpose for genetically engineering them is to meet the global
demand for food
Farmed animals have been genetically modified to grow faster. It is rarer for animals to be
modified for food production due to ethical concerns associated with this practice
Scientists have genetically modified many organisms including bacteria (eg. to produce insulin),
sheep (eg. to produce a human blood protein known as AAT), maize (eg. to be resistant to insect
attacks), rice (eg. to produce β-carotene to provide vitamin A)
The benefits of using genetic engineering rather than the more traditional selective breeding
techniques to solve the global demand for food are:
Organisms with the desired characteristics are produced more quickly
All organisms will contain the desired characteristic (there is no chance that recessive allele
may arise in the population)
The desired characteristic may come from a different species / kingdom
GM Salmon

In 2015 AquaAdventure Salmon was approved by the US Food and Drug Authority
(FDA) for human consumption
Scientists combined a growth hormone gene from a chinook salmon with the promoter
gene from an ocean pout, a cold-water fish. The ocean pout fish can grow in near-
freezing waters, thus the promoter gene ensured the growth hormone was continually
being expressed
This salmon has been genetically modified (GM) to grow more rapidly than non-GM
salmon as a result of growth hormone being produced in the salmon throughout the
year, instead of just in spring and summer. The producer therefore has a product to sell
in half the time, which increases their yield
To prevent the GM salmon from reproducing in the wild, all the salmon are female and
sterile
Due to this the characteristics of the GM salmon reduce their ability to compete with
wild salmon in a natural environment.
This has led to the US Food and Drug Administration to declare that they are highly
unlikely to have any significant effects on the environment and are ‘as safe as
conventional Atlantic salmon’
Ethical Issues

Ethical issues, including concerns for animal welfare, can arise at all stages in the generation and
life span of an individual genetically engineered animal. The following sections detail some of the
issues that have arisen during the peer-driven guidelines development process and associated
impact analysis consultations carried out by the CCAC. The CCAC works to an accepted ethic of
animal use in science, which includes the principles of the Three Rs (Reduction of animal numbers,
Refinement of practices and husbandry to minimize pain and distress, and Replacement of animals
with non-animal alternatives wherever possible). Together the Three Rs aim to minimize any pain
and distress experienced by the animals used, and as such, they are considered the principles of
humane experimental technique. However, despite the steps taken to minimize pain and distress,
there is evidence of public concerns that go beyond the Three Rs and animal welfare regarding the
creation and use of genetically engineered animals.