Do you ever you read a headline and do a double take?
The “what the hell did I just read” head shake combined with the eye squint—just in case you incorrectly read the words.
And once you’re sure the words on the page are exactly as you thought, there’s both curiosity mixed with stunned shock. “Is this realistic or even credible news?”
Yup. And that’s exactly my reaction when I read, “Are these genetically engineered cows the future of medicine?”
Cows as human plasma donors?
Transgenic rabbits that produce milk to treat hereditary angioedema (HAE)?
I guess if I were in the faction of about 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 50,000 people who live with HAE, a very rare and potentially life-threatening genetic condition, then I might be inclined to say yes.
If I had suffered for years from episodes of edema (swelling) in various body parts including my hands, feet, face, and airway, and no treatments seemed to be working, then I might be willing to try anything.
But, I have to be completely honest. I’m very skeptical.
There’s something just wrong about reading word combinations linking animals to terms like:
- Genetically modified
- Genetically altered
- Genetically manipulated
- Transgenic
- Biotechnology-derived
My mixed barrel of thoughts and emotions make it difficult to definitively choose a side in the different areas of debate:
- The genetic engineering of animals has increased significantly in recent years vs. pharmaceutical manufacturing of drugs
- The use of bio technology brings with it ethical issues vs. desperate need for resourceful and creative solutions
- Animal welfare vs. human welfare
Paragraph after paragraph, I grow more bewildered and sincerely “out of touch” with the biotech news topics. I mean … is this for real? I heard such ideas in conversations, but I usually chalked it up to “small talk bullshit” that really didn’t mean much to me.
Feeling both hopeful for our future with, “…transgenic animals are promising because they could make drug-manufacturing cheaper in the long run. Once created, the animals can basically keep pumping out drugs at a low cost” and worrisome with, “there are certainly objections to creating drugs from genetically modified animals.”
Read here for more considerations on the topic.
