GM Cows producing Human Breast Milk

[vintageteacups]

have a look at this little gem

Kind of bypasses the fact that the process itself of BF iis what gives benefits rather than just the type of milk

haven't read the paper yet, but the research is published in PLoS One, which is a dustbin not particularly eminent journal. can understand that they could use GM to add human proteins, but can they adjust the relative quantities etc while still keeping the cow a cow? and is the milk the cow makes then suitable for its offspring?

plus lots of interesting moral questions.

bookmarking my place and will watch thread with interest.

How will the pasteurising process work? Surely that would denature all of the useful human proteins? However a fascinating piece of research.

I think the key term in this article is 'human-like milk.' They can add proteins similar to the ones in breast milk, adjust fat levels etc etc but they cannot replicate the dynamic, ever changing nature of breast milk. For example the antibodies produced by a mother when exposed to infection and the changes in fat levels across a feed/time of bfing. Of course, also no one knows fully what the components of breast milk are. They have added in some of what we know, but realistically that's just the tip of the iceberg. And, as Wotmania says, it disregards the benefits of the method of feeding.

Agree it is fascinating though, and good progress even though it raises ethical concerns. For example the lactoferrin would be useful in mopping up the excess iron and prevent infection.

It seems like a lot of trouble and expense to go to for a product a bit more like the stuff most mums make for free.

I cannot understand what it is for.

And there was me assuming it was an April Fool..

Back again - I actually saw on the Andrew Marr show this morning.
It's just seems so ironic doesn't it? The whole idea of producing GM cows to produce human milk and all that goes with that ethos; natural milk from the child's (not calves) mummy, the benefits to the mum of actually physically feeding etc.
Hmm - I just don't know what to make of it.

why modify cows to make substandard bm rather than enable all babies to be able to have real bm?

Oh yes, that's why...profit.

Yep - profit and huge research grants I'd imagine.

Goes to show how much money there is in this. The whole process can't be cheap.
If only that amount could be put towards finding solutions for the zillions of people who struggle to make breast feeding work for them and reluctantly move to formula.

What a terrible article. Just scanned it but my problems with it are:

"to produce milk with the same properties as human breast milk. " - which properties exactly? It's not going to have all the same properties so they need to specifiy which.

"Human milk contains high quantities of key nutrients that can help to boost the immune system of babies and reduce the risk of infections" - I wouldn't really call antibodies a "key nutrient". The beauty of the antibodies are that the mother and baby are exposed to the same germs in the environment, will each baby have their own cow which has to follow them to playgroup so that she's exposed to the same germs?

"He said: ?Human milk contains the ?just right? proportions of protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins for an infant?s optimal growth and development. "" Well, duh!!!!!

Interesting research, ruuuuuubish article.

Wonder who's funding the resarch?

Milka???

'However, during two experiments by the Chinese researchers, which resulted in 42 transgenic calves being born, just 26 of the animals survived after ten died shortly after birth, most with gastrointestinal disease, and a further six died within six months of birth.'

Nice.

And I love this: "Why do we need this milk ? what is it giving us that we haven't already got." Er, exactly. Although those running those big-ass companies don't make any cash when women breastfeed.

It's like on that film, Food, INC. So the stoopid system we are using is causing health problems or whatever, lets think up some space age way of dealing with it. Or, we could just go back to basics and eat ordinary food and feed our babies human milk. But some of us don't make the cash that we were making from our space age scientific system.

Any other animal/mammal will never be able to create human BM because they're not and never will be 100% human.