The development of a novel transgenic technology

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Atazoa Ltd have found that spermatozoa present in farm animal ejaculates, which are widely used for breeding purposes, can be genetically modified. At present this genetic modification consists of introducing a gene into spermatozoa that encodes a green fluorescent protein (GFP), which can be easily seen by microscopy. This protein is of no therapeutic value in itself but it does provide a simple means to test and improve upon the techniques that are required to introduce genes into sperm. It will also allow us to test whether genes that are introduced into sperm by this method can be inherited through in vitro fertilisation and at what efficiency. This type of technology is potentially of great value because current means of introducing genes into larger animals are very inefficient and expensive. The new technology proposed here promises to facilitate the breeding of genetically modified animals, which are already known to be of great value for the development and discovery of new therapeutic treatments.