Large animal transgenics

Description of the technology
Dr Bruce Whitelaw’s group at the Roslin Institute has established a method for robust and quick generation of transgenic animals from mammals other than mouse using lentiviral vectors.

What the technology does
This method allows the establishment of transgenic animals to serve as disease models, research tools or bioreactors for species for which this has previously been too difficult and time consuming.

The key benefits

• Quicker results and fewer animals used in process
• Relevance of models to human disease

Possible application areas

• Animal models of disease - engineered genetic resources to study both infectious and genetic disease progression
• Testing therapies - large animal models for pre-clinical safety and efficacy evaluation of gene-therapy, cell-based surgery and pharmacological approaches
• Biotechnology - animal bioreactors of commercially valuable proteins

The science behind this technology
Gene transfer technology allows study of gene function in living animals. With regard to mammals, robust methodology exists for the mouse, however, for larger animals the length of time and number of animals required has limited studies in transgenic livestock. Researchers at The Roslin Institute utilise lentivirus vectors to delivers transgenes thus significantly reducing both the timelines and the number of animal required. The advance of technologies enabling transgenesis in non-rodent mammalian species offers opportunities for both investigating and exploiting biology. This know-how enables the recognised benefits of large animals – ease of surgical intervention, relevance (to human) of physiology and anatomy, lifespan – to be utilised to advance both animal and human health.

Approximate size of the market
Transgenic animals are used frequently in research and represent a $1.2 Billion market. Biomanufacturing is potentially even more significant, with estimates of market size going into tens of Billions.

Collaboration
We are looking for industrial partners who would be interested in collaborating on generating new large animal transgenic models of disease or to be used as research tools or bioreactors

Current status of this opportunity
We have established this technique and are now looking for new collaborators to apply it to specific disease situations or use in conjunction with other technologies.

Keywords
Disease model, transgenesis, pig, sheep, lentivirus, bioreactor, therapy

Further Information

For further information on this technology transfer opportunity with the University of Edinburgh, please contact:

Downloadable Fact Sheet