"Herman, the Biotech Bull, May Sire a New Drug Era"

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1992. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

"Herman, the Biotech Bull, May Sire a New Drug Era"

Reuters (12/17/92)

Abstract: Amsterdam--The Dutch parliament approved a measure Thursday, permitting the world's first genetically engineered bull to reproduce. According to researchers, the decision has important implications for the search for new drugs to fight diseases like AIDS. The 18-month-old bull, Herman, was conceived in a test tube and handled with kid gloves on a Dutch farm since his birth. Despite his ordinary looks, he has an extra gene in his chromosomes, modified from human material. The gene carries codes that will produce a human milk protein in his female offspring. The company which created Herman is Leiden-based Gene Pharming Europe BV. It plans on artificially inseminating 60 cows with Herman's sperm. The researchers believe the protein, lactoferrin, will be the first in a new generation of inexpensive, high-tech drugs derived from cows' milk to treat complex diseases like AIDS and cancer. Now that Herman has received approval to reproduce, the first generation of so-called transgenic' cows could be producing lactoferrin by mid-1995, although the substance will probably not be commercially available until at least 1997.

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