Monoclonals are created in mice and genetically engineered for use in humans. But Dr. Flavio Vincenti of the University of California, San Francisco says the drug's rodent origins betrayed it. In other words, our bodies reject the anti-rejection drugs, making them useless. But researchers have come up with a new approach. We're entering now into a new technology that's called humanization of these monoclonal antibodies.
Humanized monoclonals are ten percent mouse and ninety percent human.
Our bodies recognize only the human part, leaving the mouse part free to prevent rejection. For Science Today, I'm Steve Tokar. This is Science Today. Bovine growth hormone, a genetically engineered hormone that makes dairy cows produce more milk than they would naturally, has been available to farmers since 1994. Bill Liebhardt, an expert in sustainable agriculture at the University of California, Davis, says farmers and scientists are still debating its merits.