A genital recombination "cow that produces milk of ingredients similar to human breast milk" will be developed

For mothers, breast milk from the mother or powdered milk if it is difficult is common sense until now, but there is a possibility that there will be a new choice of "breast milk squeezed out from cattle" there.

A genetically modified experiment conducted in China developed a cow that can squeeze mother's milk instead of milk. It is said that milk containing antibody and nutrients contained in breast milk can be squeezed from cows, but there is also a question of doubt about its safety.

Details of "human breast milk squeezing from cow" is from the following.Scientists develop genetically modified cow that produces 'human' breast milk | Mail Online

By incorporating human genes into Holstein cows and making full use of cloning technology, cows were developed that deliver the same ingredients as human breast milk and milk containing the same fat content. With this invention, different choices will increase for mothers currently raising children using milk powder.

Human breast milk contains abundant nutrients necessary for the growth of the baby and the immune system, so the ingredients contained are different from milk. Even if a baby drinks milk, it is quite difficult to digest and there are no ingredients to produce antibodies.

However, this milk usually contains lysozyme not included in milk. Lysozyme is contained in human breast milk, it is a component that works to protect the baby against antibodies against infectious diseases. We also said that lactoferrin which enhances the function of the immune system and α-lactalbumin contained in breast milk have also been successfully included in bovine milk.

Professor Prof Ning Li of the Chinese Agricultural University who conducted research on genetic modification of cows this time is that milk for babies produced by genetically modified cows is guaranteed to be about the same level of safety as ordinary milk I am doing. This milk tastes darker than ordinary milk, "I will comfortably buy this milk supermarket within 10 years" also commented.

However, Patti Rundall, who is engaged in activities related to infant milk, says, "Human health must be protected under the correct rules, unlike breast milk that is squeezed from a cow, There is a possibility that the risk may be hidden, even if we adjust the milk of the cattle anyway, it will not become breast milk. "As a protest from the cow to the movement to produce breast milk, this breed milk It is argued that acts that take over the production of the animal are very problematic from the viewpoint of animal protection.



By the way, after two experiments, 42 calves were born by genetically engineering, but as soon as 10 births were born, 6 died within 6 months of birth, resulting in the production of milk It seems that 26 were grown up to do.

A spokesperson working for animal protection at the British Academy said that breeding animals with cloning technology involves a major problem in terms of health and welfare and why it is necessary to squeeze breast milk from cattle in the first place It raises a fundamental question.

Monitoring organization on genetic modificationGeneWatch UKHelen Wallace who belongs to Helen Wallace said that this standard for milk replacement milk from transgenic cows is looser in the EU countries such as the UK than in the UK, so it is safe to do so, unless a large-scale clinical trial is conducted It is pointed out that a big question remains.

However, in this experiment there was also a favoror, in 1996 cloning technologySheep 'Dolly'Professor Keith Campbell, a biologist at the University of Nottingham, who belonged to the team that gave birth to a cow, is concerned about breast milk squeezed from cows unless genes that may contain harmful substances are incorporated into the milk of the cow He added that genetically engineered foods that were made properly will bring great benefits to consumers in that they produce better products.

It seems that there are still various problems due to the development stage, but it is not the powdered milk adjusted for the ingredients of milk, but how much it is worthwhile to recombine the gene of a living cow to create human milk is now Since it is unknown at the stage, future additional research is awaited.