First GM pigs for allergies. Could xenotransplants be next?
The FDA greenlights α-Gal allergy-safe meat, but its makers have organs for transplants in their sights.
The first genetically engineered pig products could soon be coming to a dinner plate—or pharmacy—near you. Late last year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a facility in northern Iowa to raise hogs that lack the gene needed to produce galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal), a sugar molecule found naturally on the surface of porcine cells.
Trademarked under the name ‘GalSafe’, the pigs could now provide a source of meat for people who develop tick bite–induced allergic reactions to the sugar, a condition known as α-Gal syndrome. Byproducts of pork production could also be harvested to make allergy-free pharmaceuticals and medical implants. The porcine tissue could help overcome deficiencies in the donor supply of skin and nerve grafts.
Continue reading at Nature Biotechnology.
