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Where does milk from transgenic goats from an experimental farm near Zhodino go?

Elena Pashkevich, MLYN.BY– Twelve years ago, two of the world's first transgenic baby goats with a human miracle protein – lactoferrin were born near Zhodino. Scientists have bred them for further production of milk similar in composition to female breast milk. On the basis of lactoferrin, it was planned to produce scarce medicines of the fourth generation. But the ambitious project was suspended. Correspondents of MLYN.We visited the experimental goat farm of the Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Animal Husbandry and learned how the world's first transgenic Lac-1 is doing and how soon milk, which is still frozen in warehouses, will be on sale.

They were ahead of their time – goats named Lac-1 and Lac-2 became the ancestors of a transgenic herd that gives curative milk with medicinal proteins. Our scientists note that it is able to perfectly support a person undergoing chemotherapy for oncology. On its basis, it is possible to produce unique biological products that increase immunity and allow you to give up antibiotics. And, most importantly, lactoferrin has no adverse side effects.

Lac-1 will turn 13 in October, but he has been a great-great-grandfather for a long time. He is called a deep pensioner here. He lives in a separate pen, next to him – in a more spacious one – his young tribesmen are jumping. He responds to his name and willingly begins to pose for our photographer, turning his head to the camera with large, slightly curled, beautiful horns. The miracle animal is used to the journalists besieging him and seems to understand its exclusivity. Lac-2 lived a little less, and he was not as perfect as his brother – mostly goats were born from him, and you can't get milk from them.

All transgenic livestock now has 179 animals. They are kept at the biotechnological scientific and experimental production on animal transgenesis of the RUE "Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Animal Husbandry" near Zhodino - in the village of Budagovo, Smolevichi district. 211 ordinary goats live with them. Visually, they are the same, therefore, to distinguish transgenic and simple animals, multicolored marks are applied to the backs. The head of production Natalia Zaremba notes: goats and goats are no less loyal by nature than dogs, they always rejoice in a person and love to frolic

We started the Belprostransgen project together with Russian scientists back in 2003. The choice fell on goats, because their milk does not cause allergic reactions. A human gene was implanted into the goat's egg, which slightly changed the composition of milk. The research was the most difficult. According to forecasts, only 1-2% of a hundred goats could be transgenic. Luck smiled on us in 2007. Only after more than 200 operations were performed, we received two goats with a human gene embedded in their genome," recalls Ivan Sheiko, First Deputy General Director of the RUE "NPC of the NAS of Belarus for Animal Husbandry." So, thanks to allied science, goat's milk with lactoferrin, the main component of a woman's milk, was obtained for the first time in the world. First of all, it was created to protect against infections of a newborn deprived of mother's milk – it is ideal in feeding babies, it is not inferior to female breast milk.

The result was put on the shelf

Since human immunity is rather weak in the modern world, food additives, ointments and cosmetics were going to be made from the innovative substance, and products were going to be made from milk. They also aimed at the production of smart medicines of the 4th generation. But it was not possible to master the industrial scale. Due to delays, the project, in which the Union State invested about $ 18 million, was literally and figuratively frozen in 2013. About 20 tons of transgenic milk is stored in freezers at the Ministry of Emergency Situations warehouse near Zhodino. Part of it is sent to laboratories for further experiments.

The expected effect could amount to $6 billion per year. We wanted to create farms, buy equipment and, first of all, create drugs for children from a new substance," says Academician Ivan Sheiko. – But since we were pioneers and there was no such product in the world, we had to conduct all the tests of the valuable protein ourselves. This required a considerable amount, which was not allocated to us. Obstacles also arose from the Customs Union: some laws prohibited the use of GMO products in the production of food for children, nursing and pregnant women.

Science could not convince the law, even when the head of the Department of Biochemistry of the Biological Faculty of BSU Igor Semak proved that our lactoferrin is 99.9% identical to that produced in a woman's milk. This means that it cannot be genetically modified either.

A unique molecule

But are transgenic technologies – implanting a human gene in animals - so dangerous? Academician Ivan Sheiko notes: while we are marking time, the whole world is actively developing genetic engineering. – The human genome has long been changed by various viruses, and it is already ten percent transgenic. Antibiotics are often powerless even against the most common colds, besides chemical preparations cause a number of side effects, – says Ivan Pavlovich. – Humanity will no longer be able to do without genetic engineering products. It is planned that by 2050 pharmaceutical companies will replace 70-80% of chemical preparations with biological ones obtained by synthesis by living systems. The Chinese have already bred two hundred cows with human lactoferrin, but it is not suitable for feeding a child. Biologics, such as human antithrombin, have long been obtained from the milk of transgenic goats. All biotechnological techniques and methods are very promising. American geneticists have learned how to grow human organs in the body of a pig. The experiment had to be stopped for ethical reasons, but one should not deny the importance of this method in saving human lives.

Lactoferrin can replace four antibiotics at once: it fights microbes, inflammation, oxidants and even cancer. The need for it in the world is huge and the demand for it is measured in millions of dollars. By the way, a transgenic animal that gives lactoferrin costs about 20-30 thousand dollars on the market.

Now the institute is testing lactoferrin on weak calves, piglets. And this gives an amazing result on animal survival.

One gram of lactoferrin on the world market costs about 3 thousand dollars, the price of our lactoferrin is up to 100 dollars. If necessary, its cost can be reduced by increasing the number of herds, having had enough. In our herd, the average content of this protein is 4-5 grams per liter. At all meetings and conferences, we talk about the need to develop a regulatory framework for the further development of our success. However, the Ministry of Health of Belarus has not yet given permission for the use of milk with recombinant protein. We need a toxicohygienic assessment of our product in order to legally confirm its harmlessness to humans, but there are difficulties with the appropriate methods of this assessment," explains Dmitry Bogdanovich, head of the Laboratory of Reproduction, Embryo Transplantation and Animal Transgenesis.– In the meantime, transgenic goats on an experimental farm are on a diet. You can not overfeed them, otherwise they will get fat and stop giving offspring. After all, animals are milked minimally – since the unique development does not find a worthy application, milk is still only for research.

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