Once identified, genetic manipulation can be used to isolate this small piece of DNA and incorporate it into viruses or plasmids which can then be transferred to a recipient's genome. In general, the ultimate goal of transgenesis is to produce an animal with economically superior traits that either enhance normal functioning or impart a new function that can be passed from one generation to the next. It would be a great advancement to develop a method of verifying that the embryo actually carries the injected transgene and to identify where the transgene has inserted prior to implantation in a host animal. Hopefully, these prospective methods will improve the efficiency of the transgenic process.
Transgenic technology provides a mechanism to rapidly select economically important traits.
The result was transgenic sheep that exhibited an increase in wool production efficiency without adverse effects on health or reproduction. Transgenesis has also been used to create bioreactor animals. These examples illustrate that transgenic animals have applicability to a wide range of livestock production parameters. The production of transgenic animals raises many ethical, environmental and food safety issues. This has the potential to result in dangerous modifications to food animals.