Glowing Cats Proposed for AIDS Research and Study

Glowing Cats Proposed for AIDS Research and Study

By using a virus to carry a gene called the green fluorescent protein or GFP, Eric Poeschla a U.S. researcher of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester was able to produce three genetically modified glowing cats. This genetic modification is a method simpler and more efficient compared to traditional cloning techniques.

The green fluorescent protein originates from jellyfish and contains proteins that glow when illuminated with light. The new discovery will hopefully be used in the study of HIV/AIDS, according to Poeschla. Likewise, professors of the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh added that cats are vulnerable to FIV or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, a virus closely related to HIV which is the cause of AIDS. The newly discovered technology if applied will be used to study FIV and information or findings from said study will aid in the study of AIDS.

However, according to professors of Roslin Institute, using genetically modified cats as models for human ailments is limited and can be used only if other laboratory animals such as mice or rats are not suitable.

Head of developmental genetics at the Medical Research Council’s National Institute for medical research, known as Dr. Robin Lovell-Badge said that truly cats are one of the animals that are vulnerable to the virus and yet are also subject to a pandemic. He also suggests that to give resistance means that human and animal health should likewise be given equal importance.

Posted by George Daniels on Monday November 14 2011, 6:03 PM EDT. Ref: Eric Poeschla et al. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0