Anti-cancer milk
Scientists have created genetically modified goats whose milk contains a cure for cancer
Denis Gordeev, Naked Science
Monoclonal antibodies are considered the most promising means against cancerous tumors. Obtaining such antibodies is one of the most important tasks of modern biotechnology. Scientists from New Zealand said that they managed to create genetically modified goats, whose milk contains monoclonal anti-cancer antibodies. An article about this is published on the bioRxiv preprint portal (Laible et al, Transgenic goats producing an improved version of cetuximab in milk).
Researchers have ensured that goats, together with milk, secrete class G immunoglobulins to epidermal growth factor receptors, similar to those contained in a drug called cetuximab. This medicine is used to treat several types of cancer, in particular squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, as well as metastatic colorectal.
The cost of the course of cetuximab is about 13 thousand dollars. Scientists hope that their development will make cancer treatment more accessible. "It is much more economical to produce cetuximab with the help of animals, because their mammary glands can produce a large amount of proteins," explains the head of the research group, Goetz Laible.
It is worth noting that the high cost of cetuximab is due not only to the fact that this drug is produced in a laboratory way. The structure of the immunoglobulins that make up its composition is very complex. Therefore, they have to be obtained from cell cultures under strictly controlled conditions, which, of course, leads to high production costs.
Genes encoding anti-cancer immunoglobulins were inserted into the genome of goat cells. At the same time, the same technology was used that was used to create the famous cloned Dolly sheep. Two transgenic lines of goats obtained as a result of such an intervention showed sufficiently high levels of antibody concentration in milk – about 10 g/l.
In addition, immunoglobulins from goat's milk were better in some characteristics than those contained in a commercial preparation. Thus, these antibodies were better bound by CD16 receptors on the surface of T-killer cells of the immune system, which leads to the generation of antibody-dependent T-cell cytotoxicity and enhanced immune response.
According to scientists, goats can become an excellent platform for large-scale production of anti-cancer antibodies. Immunoglobulins are easily isolated from milk and purified, and the genetically modified goats themselves feel normal and are no different from ordinary animals.
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