Animal Biotechnology

Animal Biotechnology
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2002-11-29
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 030916933X

Genetic-based animal biotechnology has produced new food and pharmaceutical products and promises many more advances to benefit humankind. These exciting prospects are accompanied by considerable unease, however, about matters such as safety and ethics. This book identifies science-based and policy-related concerns about animal biotechnologyâ€"key issues that must be resolved before the new breakthroughs can reach their potential. The book includes a short history of the field and provides understandable definitions of terms like cloning. Looking at technologies on the near horizon, the authors discuss what we know and what we fear about their effectsâ€"the inadvertent release of dangerous microorganisms, the safety of products derived from biotechnology, the impact of genetically engineered animals on their environment. In addition to these concerns, the book explores animal welfare concerns, and our societal and institutional capacity to manage and regulate the technology and its products. This accessible volume will be important to everyone interested in the implications of the use of animal biotechnology.

Transgenic Animals in Agriculture

Transgenic Animals in Agriculture
Author: James Dickson Murray
Publisher: Cabi
Total Pages: 312
Release: 1999
Genre: Science
ISBN:

In the past decade, a number of advances have been made in genetic engineering as applied to farmed animals. This book has been developed from invited presentations at a conference held in California in August 1997, to address this issue. It is written by representatives from the leading laboratories involved in attempts to improve agriculturally important mammals, poultry and fish. Current knowledge, methodology, technical improvements and successes in the applications of transgenic technology to a range of animals which are important in agriculture are brought together for the first time under one cover. This book is essential reading for research workers in animal genetics, breeding and biotechnology.

Welfare Aspects of Transgenic Animals

Welfare Aspects of Transgenic Animals
Author: L.F.M. van Zutphen
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 131
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3642605893

v Preface The quality of animal models used in biomedical research has increased substantially since the first successful microinjection of foreign DNA frag ments into a mouse zygote in the early 1980s. New well-defined animal models, developed either by micro injection techniques or by homologous recombination in embryonic stem (ES) cells, have become widely available and several classical animal models have now been replaced by these transgenic models. Transgenic animals also fulfill increasingly important roles in other fields, like livestock production or in biopharming. The potential benefits of this technology are overwhelming. It is not surprising that many research groups have rushed to jump on this wagon of scientific progress. However, no matter how important these developments are, they can not relieve us of the moral obligations towards the animals. It is generally recognized that animal use is allowed only if the harmful effects are out weighed by the potential benefits of the experimental results. But what are the harmful effects? What is the impact of trans genesis on the well-being of animals? In order to gain more insight into this aspect of trans genesis the European Commission (DGXII) has funded a 12-month project with the aim of col lecting information on the production and use of transgenic animals in EU Member States and, more specifically, to obtain information as to what extent specific welfare problems may arise and whether or not studies are being performed on the incidence of welfare problems.

Care, Use, and Welfare of Marmosets as Animal Models for Gene Editing-Based Biomedical Research

Care, Use, and Welfare of Marmosets as Animal Models for Gene Editing-Based Biomedical Research
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 123
Release: 2019-08-26
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309488516

The marmoset, a type of small monkey native to South America, is a research model of increasing importance for biomedical research in the United States and globally. Marmosets offer a range of advantages as animal models in neuroscience, aging, infectious diseases, and other fields of study. They may be particularly useful for the development of new disease models using genetic engineering and assisted reproductive technologies. However, concerns have been voiced with respect to the development of new marmoset-based models of disease, ethical considerations for their use, the supply of marmosets available for research, and gaps in guidance for their care and management. To explore and address these concerns, the Roundtable on Science and Welfare in Laboratory Animal Use hosted a public workshop on October 22-23, 2018, in Washington, DC. The workshop focused on the availability of marmosets in the United States and abroad; animal welfare and ethical considerations stemming from the use of wildtype and genetically modified marmosets; and standards of housing and care, dietary needs, and feeding requirements for marmosets in captivity. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Transgenic Animals

Transgenic Animals
Author: Louis-Marie Houdebine
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 606
Release: 1997-05-22
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9789057020698

During the past 20 years, transgenesis has become a popular technique and a crucial tool for molecular geneticists and biologists. Transgene expression is now better-controlled and even specifically inducible by exogenous factors. While these techniques have quite significantly transformed the experimental approaches taken by biologists, the applications are more limited than expected and concerns have arisen regarding biosafety as well as physiological, social, and philosophical issues. Transgenic Animals: Generation and Use contains articles on the techniques used to generate transgenic animals and a section on the preparation of vectors for the optimally controlled expression of transgenes. It also examines the use of transgenic animals in the study of gene function and human diseases, the preparation of recombinant proteins and organs for pharmaceutical and medical use, and the improvement of genetic characteristics of farm animals. Finally, it discusses more recent problems generated by transgenic animals including conservation of transgenic lines, specific database patenting, biosafety, and bioethics. Drawn from both academia and industry, the contributors to this monograph present in one concise volume all the relevant information on the different aspects of transgenesis. This book can be used as both a reference book and a textbook for specialized university courses and will be of interest to everyone involved in basic research in animal biology, molecular genetics, animal biotechnology, pharmaceutical science, and medicine.

Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals

Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2006-08-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309101107

Arranging the transportation of animals at research facilities is often an ordeal. There is a confusing patchwork of local, national, and international regulations; a perceived lack of high-quality shipping services; a dearth of science-based good practices; and a lack of biosafety standards. It's a challenge â€"and an impediment to biomedical research. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals identifies the current problems encountered in the transportation of research animals and offers recommendations aimed at local and federal officials to rectify these problems. This book also includes a set of good practices based on the extensive body of literature on transportation of agricultural animals, universal concepts of physiology, and a scientific understanding of species-specific needs and differences. Good practices were developed by the committee to address thermal environment, space requirements, food and water requirements, social interaction, monitoring of transportation, emergency procedures, personnel training, and biosecurity. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals is an essential guide for all researchers, animal care technicians, facilities managers, administrators, and animal care and use committees at research institutions.

Are We Pushing Animals to Their Biological Limits?

Are We Pushing Animals to Their Biological Limits?
Author: Temple Grandin
Publisher: CABI
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2018-07-31
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 178639054X

Stimulating and thought-provoking, this important new text looks at the welfare problems and philosophical and ethical issues that are caused by changes made to an animal's telos, behaviour and physiology, both positive and negative, to make them more productive or adapted for human uses. These changes may involve selective breeding for production, appearance traits, or competitive advantage in sport, transgenic animals or the use of pharmaceuticals or hormones to enhance production or performance. Changes may impose duties to care for these animals further and more intensely, or they may make the animal more robust. The book considers a wide range of animals, including farm animals, companion animals and laboratory animals. It reviews the ethics and welfare issues of animals that have been adapted for sport, as companions, in work, as ornaments, food sources, guarding and a whole host of other human functions. This important new book sparks debate and is essential reading for all those involved in animal welfare and ethics, including veterinarians, animal scientists, animal welfare scientists and ethologists.

Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research

Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2003-08-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 030916785X

Expanding on the National Research Council's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, this book deals specifically with mammals in neuroscience and behavioral research laboratories. It offers flexible guidelines for the care of these animals, and guidance on adapting these guidelines to various situations without hindering the research process. Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research offers a more in-depth treatment of concerns specific to these disciplines than any previous guide on animal care and use. It treats on such important subjects as: The important role that the researcher and veterinarian play in developing animal protocols. Methods for assessing and ensuring an animal's well-being. General animal-care elements as they apply to neuroscience and behavioral research, and common animal welfare challenges this research can pose. The use of professional judgment and careful interpretation of regulations and guidelines to develop performance standards ensuring animal well-being and high-quality research. Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research treats the development and evaluation of animal-use protocols as a decision-making process, not just a decision. To this end, it presents the most current, in-depth information about the best practices for animal care and use, as they pertain to the intricacies of neuroscience and behavioral research.

Designer Animals

Designer Animals
Author: Conrad Grebel Brunk
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2012-01-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1442639970

"Designer Animals is an in-depth study of the debates surrounding the development of animal biotechnology, which is quickly emerging out of the laboratory and into the commercial marketplace. This book innovatively combines expert analysis on the technology's economic, professional, ethical, and religious implications while remaining firmly grounded in the 'real world' political environment in which the issue is played out. Designer Animals uses non-technical language to explore the science behind animalbiotechnology and the ethical frameworks at play in its surrounding debates. By investigating the interests of major stakeholders--including researchers on the cutting edge of science, mainstream and 'alternative' agriculture organizations, the animal welfare movement, and health care providers, patients, and researchers--the contributors illuminate the most important points of agreement and disagreement on this hotly contested topic."--Dust jacket.

Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods

Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 254
Release: 2004-07-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309166152

Assists policymakers in evaluating the appropriate scientific methods for detecting unintended changes in food and assessing the potential for adverse health effects from genetically modified products. In this book, the committee recommended that greater scrutiny should be given to foods containing new compounds or unusual amounts of naturally occurring substances, regardless of the method used to create them. The book offers a framework to guide federal agencies in selecting the route of safety assessment. It identifies and recommends several pre- and post-market approaches to guide the assessment of unintended compositional changes that could result from genetically modified foods and research avenues to fill the knowledge gaps.