Fluorescent puppy is world's first transgenic dog

newscientist ^ | 23 April 2009 | Ewen Callaway

[JoeProBono]

A cloned beagle named Ruppy – short for Ruby Puppy – is the world's first transgenic dog. She and four other beagles all produce a fluorescent protein that glows red under ultraviolet light. A team led by Byeong-Chun Lee of Seoul National University in South Korea created the dogs by cloning fibroblast cells that express a red fluorescent gene produced by sea anemones. Lee and stem cell researcher Woo Suk Hwang were part of a team that created the first cloned dog, SnuppyMovie Camera, in 2005. Much of Hwang's work on human cells turned out to be fraudulent, but Snuppy was not, an investigation later concluded. This new proof-of-principle experiment should open the door for transgenic dog models of human disease, says team member CheMyong Ko of the University of Kentucky in Lexington. "The next step for us is to generate a true disease model," he says.

[RichInOC]

I was wondering why my bulgogi was glowing the other night.

No, actually that was from a North Korean dog that played too close to the reactor.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

ROFLAMAO!

[SouthTexas]

Black dogs are best. The first thing an intruder sees is teeth. ;)

[JoeProBono]

[DeLaine]

LOL! Right, but not a guide dog pup, no instances of aggression are allowed. If a blind person is mugged, their guide dog will undoubtedly just sit quietly, interested in what strange thing was going on.

[JSDude1]

this is sick..don’t mess with God’s creation (especially a puppy)!

[SouthTexas]

Well yeah and they can be problematic at night when they sleep in the middle of the floor.

[exDemMom]

I hope you are kidding, are you also in favor of killing babies for their stem cells? This messing with genetics like this is the road to hell. Where do you think this is going to lead to? Do you think these "researchers" will stop with puppies? Someone already said they have cloned humans. We have to stop these people from trying to play God. There will be serious consquences.

Excuse me, but you read a LOT into there that I did not say. Everything I said was about the use of animals in research, and I hinted at how techniques like this decrease the number of animals needed for research. Which is a win-win for everyone, in my book.

There is nothing new about altering the genetics of animals for research purposes. It's been done for years. This particular case was only noteworthy because a puppy brings in the cute factor. Making genetically altered animals is a fairly trivial (albeit time-consuming) technique for anyone with my level of education.

Oh, I was about to post this without answering your question. Where I think this will eventually lead is to cures for diseases that we do not have good ways of treating yet. Like treatments for heart disease that are far more effective than the rather limited techniques we have now.

[DeLaine]

Now that would be a problem!! When here he had to sleep in a crate though. What his new owner did was up to her.

[SouthTexas]

Hopefully they made him a nice place on the end of the couch. :)

[rintense]

So wrong on so many levels...

[AUH2O Repub]

Making genetically altered animals is a fairly trivial (albeit time-consuming) technique for anyone with my level of education. Sounds like you are one of those with too much education. So if it's ok to mess with the genetic make-up of animals and you think it will lead to treatment of disease in humans, do you believe in messing with the genetic make-up of humans also. Man was made in God's image, there will be Godly repercussions when we start trying to change that.

[DeLaine]

I got to meet her at puppy raiser day and she was a wonderful woman that Striker already loved, I could tell. And she was already looking forward to letting him be spoiled rotten when he was off duty. Her choice. I wasn’t allowed to make those choices but I’m glad for them both.

[SouthTexas]

That’s a great service you do.

[DeLaine]

It was one of my life’s greatest pleasures. I loved that dog so much. And to think that I helped change someone’s life for the better...woo. I am honored.
I only did it once, but I encourage everyone who can to give it a try.
Note: it’s labor intensive but rewarding!

[Rebel_Ace]

Geez! Let me pop in here with a concrete example for you:

Suppose you identify a gene that produces a particular type of cancer tumor. So, you introduce a retro-virus into a patient with said tumors, to "tag" the cells to produce the "glow under UV" effect.

Now, with the proper instrumentation, you "light up" and identify all the tumors for treatment, whether that treatment be targeted chemicals or radiation, or surgical removal.

Treatment of said cancer becomes MUCH more complete, and less risky for the patient. Follow up scans become MUCH more effective, to spot cancerous regrowth.

Yeah, pretty hideous stuff, I don't see how I could live with myself after doing that.

[AUH2O Repub]

And two years later it is discovered that this genetic freak has a much worse cancer.

[Rebel_Ace]

Even if this were the case, the "genetic freak" would have had two additional years with his/her spouse and children, had two additional years to finish that novel, two additional years to finalize that Grand Unification Theory...

The very SAME justification that we use for organ transplants that might buy a patient an additional 2 to 5 years of life.

By the way, do you realize that NATURALLY OCCURING viruses do this to organisms already? One of the techniques for DNA tracking involves finding genetic markers introduced by retro-viruses in the wild, making vast portions of the human population "genetic freaks".

[patton]

kagogi. Bulgogi is beef.

[patton]

Drive on, ignore the luddites.