James Murray, left, and Elizabeth Maga have been developing a herd of genetically modified goats at the dairy goat barn on campus. (Dave Jones/UC Davis photo)
Biotech milk fights disease
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About transgenic goats
Lyso-what?
Just what is this protein found in the tears, saliva and milk of all mammals? …
The Brazilian connection
A couple from Brazil who are UC Davis animal science alumni have been the bridge to this international research project….
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Biotech goats’ milk will help world’s children avoid disease
Scientists in Brazil and at UC Davis are teaming up to develop a herd of genetically modified dairy goats, whose milk is expected to protect against the types of diarrheal diseases that each year claim the lives of more than 2 million children around the world.
The team plans to have a milk-producing herd of these goats established in Brazil within two years and hopes to begin human trials with the genetically enhanced goats’ milk within three to five years.
The milk will carry increased levels of the human enzyme lysozyme. Known to provide important immunological benefits, lysozyme is found at very high levels in human breast milk but at very low levels in goats’ milk.
“This is an exciting partnership that promises to increase our understanding of how lysozyme destroys the harmful bacteria that cause intestinal infections and diarrhea, and encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria,” said UC Davis animal science professor James Murray.
‘Will provide remarkable improvements’
“We fully expect that the lysozyme-rich milk that these goats produce will provide remarkable improvements in the health of the children in those parts of Brazil that struggle with diarrheal diseases,” said UC Davis animal scientist Elizabeth Maga.
During the past 10 years, she and Murray have developed a herd of genetically modified dairy goats at UC Davis and studied how the beneficial properties of human milk might be introduced into the milk of dairy goats.
The new project, funded with a $3.1 million grant from Brazil’s Ministry of Science and Technology, is under the leadership of Aldo Lima, professor and director of the Clinical Research Unit and Institute of Biomedicine at the Federal University of Ceará, in Forteleza, Brazil.
“This collaborative study and effort is timely and geographically important,” said Lima, who studies the causes, mechanisms and short-term impact of persistent diarrheal illnesses and enteric infections in Northeast Brazil.
“The interaction between under-nutrition and diarrhea has been a long-lasting concern in developing countries,” Lima said.
‘Opportunity to do something extraordinary’
“We have a great opportunity to do something extraordinary to improve people’s lives by developing bio-products for treatment and prevention of infant diarrhea, one of the main causes of child mortality in regions like the Brazilian semi-arid region.”
During the first two years of the project, Murray and Maga will work with their colleagues in transporting semen or embryos from transgenic goats at UC Davis to the State University of Ceará, and establishing the new breeding and milking herd there for the study.
All of the genetically modified animals will be in a closed herd, without contact with other domestic animals. These animals are not intended to be given or sold to producers or released into the population at the current time.
In Brazil and at UC Davis, the researchers will also clone goats from genetically engineered cells that carry the human lactoferrin gene. Lactoferrin is another important human milk protein with antimicrobial properties.