Transgenic Pigs Pave Way to Alzheimer's Disease Breakthrough

Filed in archive Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics on July 3, 2007

In August, the first cloned pig with Alzheimer's disease will be born in Denmark.

Responsible for this breakthrough are scientists from the universities of Copenhagen and Ã...rhus, Denmark in their effort towards finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease.

The said pigs have been genetically modified to function as animal models for Alzheimer's disease - a brain disorder suffered by an approximately 24 million people globally.

According to Ingrid Brück Bøgh from the Department of Large Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen:

"In the light of the intense focus on medical research at the University of Copenhagen and the continuous expansion of the pharmaceutical industry in Denmark, the ability to produce transgenic pig models for human diseases is a major prerequisite for future progress in this area.

The upcoming birth of these transgenic pig models constitutes a fantastic success for us. It is also a demonstration of the excellent cross-disciplinary collaboration between the experts at both universities."

Find more details from the University of Copenhagen.

[In photo: Cloned pigs have been genetically modified so that they may function as animal models for Alzheimer's disease. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Copenhagen)]