First mice, then beagles, and now marmosets.
These fluorescent transgenic monkeys differ from those developed last year in that they apparently are able to pass on the modified gene to their offspring. According to an article in UK’s Telegraph, having a non-human primate model for disease research could be extremely valuable due to the close genetic relationship of the marmosets with humans.
If, as most of the reporting on this type of research indicates, these animals are able to help us more quickly find cures to currently incurable neurological diseases such as Huntington’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease, then perhaps it makes sense for we humans to play God.
There is still something about genetic modification that bothers me on a gut feeling, can’t say exactly why level.
(NaBloPoMo | May ‘09: 31 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 127 of 274)