Biotech Cats Wouldn't Affect Allergies; Company Strives To Create Genetically Engineered Cats Free Of Allergy-Causing Proteins
The biotechnology revolution is shaking up the pet world. First came a cloned cat. Then came the fish genetically engineered to glow. Now, a Los Angeles company is exploiting the latest in biotechnology to create cats genetically engineered to be nearly free from the allergy-causing proteins that plague millions of people.
Allerca Inc. president Simon Brodie said by 2007 the company will use RNA interference to "silence" a gene in cats that produces the irritant, which is excreted through saliva and the skin.