High Precision Genetic Engineering
In the discovery of highly efficient molecular tools for genomic editing lies one of the greatest victories of science. It is the use of systems that allow the removal, modification or addition of genes in specific locations of the genome to be carried out with high precision, generating transformative possibilities in the field of human and animal health, animal production and agriculture.
From the perspective of human and animal health and the food industry, the production of recombinant proteins for use as biopharmaceuticals in the treatment of numerous diseases or as additives to increase the biological value of food formulas or feed is a huge advance achieved during the last decades. Fortgen Technologies is a national leader in the execution of projects aimed at the production of recombinant proteins on an Animal Platform. Some of the applications of recombinant proteins are:
- Production of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of various types of cancer and autoimmune diseases
- Production of recombinant blood products
- Production of recombinant therapeutic enzymes
- Production of recombinant proteins for addition in human food formulas or animal feed
In the field of animal production, it is possible to generate results associated with increased productivity, disease resistance, animal welfare and environmental sustainability, such as:
- Higher weight gain and carcass yield
- Greater feed efficiency
- Production of nutritionally healthier meat
- Greater animal tolerance to heat and greater climate adaptation
- Production of hornless (naturally horned) animals, eliminating dehorning
- Resistance to various diseases
- Production of clones of animals of high genetic merit (e.g., semen-donor sires or oocyte-donor females) with the addition of desirable traits, such as absence of horns or heat tolerance, which are passed on to offspring
- Possibility of producing more, using fewer animals and less space, with consequent reduction in environmental impact, less water use and lower greenhouse gas emissions
Technologies
For the large-scale production of recombinant proteins we use the Animal Platform, focusing on the use of the expression system in the mammary gland of goats or cows. The production of recombinant proteins in milk is one of the most efficient, scalable, cheap and safe strategies currently available. Milk functions only as a kind of vehicle from which the recombinant protein of interest can be fully purified. With regard to the biopharmaceutical industry, the fact stands out that the production of biopharmaceuticals for human health from the Animal Platform was approved by regulatory agencies FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in 2006 and EMA (European Medicines Agency) in 2009.
