Biotechnological opportunities in veterinary interventions and challenges in their Global adoption: the research perspective
During the last 40 years studies in the mouse, including the production of chimeras, development of pronuclear injection techniques and the establishment of embryonic stem (ES) cells have provided models for the study of development and differentiation, precise and routes for genetic modification of the nuclear genome. The use of ES cells combined with homologous recombination allowed precise genetic modifications of the mouse genome including gene knockouts, knockins and modification of specific sequences producing models to study function of individual genes and their role in disease. Over this period parallel studies in other species were less successful, pronuclear injection produced transgenic animals in a range of species, however, this technique is limited to gene addition. The isolation of ES cells in domestic species would provide a more precise route to genetic modification although the extended generation times of many species as compared to the mouse may limit its use. To date, attempts to isolate ES cells have only proved successful in humans and monkeys. The development of somatic cell nuclear transfer provided novel opportunities not only for animal production but also for precise genetic manipulation. Continued research on adult derived stem cells, epiblast stem cells and studies on reprogramming which lead to the production of induced pluripotent cells (iPS). All of these technologies provide routes to the modification of domestic species in a range of basic and applied research including; models for human disease and cell based therapeutic medicine, biopharmaceuticals, modification of animal traits, genetic intervention for disease prevention and cell based therapies for animal medicine. However, application of these technologies is slow, in part this may be due to cost, but, in addition to economic considerations social, ethical and religious factors need to be discussed and addressed. This paper will review the potential biological opportunities provided by these technologies in domestic species and discuss factors restricting their global acceptance.