The wires are buzzing with news of the “first glow-in-the-dark cat”, named Mr. Green Genes (no relation to any of our editors), that was genetically engineered at the Audubon Centre for Research of Endangered Species in New Orleans.
Strangely, the news media uniformly failed to remember the glowing cats, seen on the right, announced one year ago by the Gyeongsang National University in Korea. Of course the exciting part is that the new research was helped by the green fluorescent protein (GFP), the discovery of which won this year’s Nobel in Chemistry.
From The Telegraph:
The researchers made him so they could learn whether a gene could be introduced harmlessly into the feline’s genetic sequence to create what is formally known as a transgenic cat.
If so, it would be the first step in a process that could lead to the development of ways to combat diseases via gene therapy.
The gene, which was added to Mr. Green Genes’ DNA when he was created, has no effect on his health, Ms Dresser said.
To show that the gene went where it was supposed to go, the researchers settled on one that would glow.
More from The Telegraph…