Genetically modified pigs

Context

• The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a first intentional genomic alteration (IGA) in a line of domestic pigs referred to as GalSafe pigs.

What would be its benefits?

• These pigs may be used for food, for research purpose and human therapeutics.
• GalSafe pigs may potentially be used to produce human medical products such as potential allergies.
• GalSafe pigs may be used to make the blood-thinning drug heparin.
• One example is of using IGAs to make an animal more susceptible to certain diseases such as cancer, which helps researchers get a better understanding of the disease and develop new therapies to treat it.

What is intentional genomic alteration?

• Intentional genomic alteration in animals means making specific changes to the genome of the organism using modern molecular technologies that are popularly referred to as “genome editing” or “genetic engineering”.
• Such changes in the DNA sequence of an animal may be carried out for research purposes, to produce healthier meat for human consumption and to study disease resistance in animals among other reasons.

What is the difference between IGA and normal animal?

• The only difference between an animal with an IGA and one that does not have an IGA is that the IGA gives them a new trait or characteristic, such as faster growth or resistance to certain diseases.