| From: | Sebastian Wiers m0ng005e@*****.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Ahh the wonders of biotech! |
| Date: | Tue, 20 Jun 2000 22:08:43 -0500 |
:are alot more expensive. Maybe this spider silk gene requires some
:post-translational modifications that only animals and insects can perform.
:Any biochemists with some additional insight?
I beleive labs at the university near my house use similar gene modified
animals to produce research phamacuiticals. Just guessing, but I think
growing and processing e-coli or yeast for the same purpose is more
expensive and complex. After all, once you do the trans-genetics, which is
harder to raise- a goat, or e-coli? Heck, hillbillies can raise and milk
goats, but can they raise a stable strain of e-coli or yeast culture??
Also just guessing here, a single celled creatures physiology may be
disrupted by the production of complex protiens, while milk glands are
supported by the animals body and can devote all thier energy to producing
various protiens and such- adding a new one doesn't strain the physiology.
It may just be the only way to do it, for bilogical reasons.
Another problem (maybe the biggest) is that e-coli and yeast go thorugh
many generations in the life of one goat or horse- mutation is almost
inevitable, and it is very hard to seperate the mutants from a culture.
Mutation of the spliced gene could be disasterous to phamcologocal reseach
if it resulted in a similar "looking" but very different "acting"
drug. If
the germs simply mutate to stop producing the compund entirely, they save a
lot of metabolic energy, and rapidly out-populate the useful germs.
This is probably the deciding factor, as its the one thing technology
probably can't work around. You can provide trained personel with proper
equipment, and develope advanced cultrue media, but you can't stop mutation
and evolution.
Seb
_____________________________________________
NetZero - Defenders of the Free World
Click here for FREE Internet Access and Email
http://www.netzero.net/download/index.html
