Air Date: Week of January 12, 2001

Transcript

TOOMEY: It's been announced that a three-month-old rhesus monkey is the world's first genetically-modified primate. A simple genetic marker was inserted into ANDi when he was still an unfertilized egg. The name ANDi is DNA spelled backwards plus the letter "i" for "insert." The technique, called germ-line engineering, involves genetically modifying sperm or egg cells, and could produce primates that carry genes associated with specific medical conditions. For example, researchers could insert a gene associated with Alzheimer's and use the animal and its offspring to test vaccines against that condition. But the possibility of human germ-line engineering remains controversial. Critics say it opens up the use of genetic engineering to enhance desirable characteristics or create so-called super-beings. That's this week's health update. I'm Diane Toomey.

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CURWOOD: And you're listening to Living on Earth.

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