Atransgenic organism is one that contains genes from another species.
The Purdue research is part of an effort by Purdue and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assess the risks and benefits of biotechnology and its products, such as genetically modified fish. The study was published in November in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Purdue animal scientist Bill Muir and biologist Rick Howard used minute Japanese fish called medaka to examine what would happen if male medakas genetically modified with growth hormone from Atlantic salmon were introduced to a population of unmodified fish. The research was conducted in banks of aquariums in a laboratory setting. The results warn that transgenic fish could present a significant threat to native wildlife.