Areas of Biotechnology Research

For thousands of years, people have tried to introduce desirable characteristics into animals by selectively mating male and female animals with those valued traits. Biotechnology can introduce many of those characteristics into animals much faster and more efficiently than breeding can (breeding for desirable characteristics to begin manifesting themselves takes many generations). Animals may be genetically engineered to grow faster, not get sick as often, or have meat that is more nutritious or tasty.

Like plants, animals can also be genetically engineered to produce medicine in their milk, blood, or other tissues. But many animals also have organs that are similar to those of humans. Organ transplants between different mammals, like humans and pigs, have been tried. But the human body recognizes the organ as foreign and attacks it in a process called rejection. Researchers are trying to create pigs that lack the chemicals that cause the human body to reject pig organs. This could make organ transplants between humans and animals possible, which would increase the number of organs available for transplanting.