Tear-free transgenic cats could be 3 years away

Last Updated: Thursday, June 28, 2001 | 3:33 PM ET

CBC News

The scientist who cloned the first mammal in the United States plans to turn his research efforts towards cloning a cat that doesn't cause allergies in humans.

And a couple from Syracuse, New York, are looking for $2 million in venture capital to help him. They're setting up a company called, Transgenic Pets.

Jackie and David Avner have hired University of Connecticut Prof. Xiangzhong (Jerry) Yang to do the cloning research. They have a patent pending on the idea of non-allergenic, genetically altered pets.

Cells from a cloned cow

Yang cloned the first cow in the U.S. He now wants to create a genetically modified cat lacking the protein that causes allergies in humans. Yang expects his allergen-free feline will be available for sale in three years.

Transgenic Pets hope to sell the cats for about $1,000 each. They'll be spayed or neutered before sale to prevent illicit breeding.

The work is an offshoot of Yang's research into "therapeutic cloning" to develop cures for human illnesses like Parkinson's disease or diabetes.

Yang heads the University of Connecticut's Transgenic Animal facility. He opposes human cloning.

• IN DEPTH: Human Cloning

The Avners started their company to disable the genes in cats that are responsible for causing human allergies like sneezing and itchy eyes.

Creating cat clones

Here's how it could work. David Avner says an allergen protein is secreted by a gland in the cat's skin. When the protein comes into contact with the allergen, an allergic reaction can happen in some people.

Yang is working on knocking out the gene responsible for the protein. He plans to take cat cells and replace them with genes that don't cause problems in humans.

The genetically modified cells would be fused with "empty" egg cells from which the genetic material has been removed. The eggs would then grow in a surrogate mother.

When some breeding couples of allergen-free cats are born, Yang could clone them using the same technique used to create Dolly, the cloned sheep.

Yang says he won't touch dogs because scientists don't know as much about their reproductive systems. Yang says he was motivated to start the research because he and his family are all highly allergic to cats.

But animal rights groups are concerned about the research. Some point to deformities in transgenic animals which are unanticipated and are not understood.

DISCUSSION: Animal organs in humans

Meanwhile, another biotech company is working on creating transgenic pigs whose organs could be transplanted into humans without fear of rejection.

The cat research appears in this week's issue of New Scientist magazine.