On a recent visit to this rural-based life sciences company, I saw an amazing glimpse into the future. Although they look, sound and smell the same as ordinary livestock, the animals on this farm are in a league of their own. And it all began when the brains behind the business decided to veer away from production agriculture and carve a niche in the emerging field of biotechnology. Let's just say the cows and calves on this dairy farm won't see their milk being shipped to the land of Dairy Queen. Within five years, the company hopes to have their stock producing synthetic human serum albumin in their milk.
Serum albumin is the major blood protein in humans.
Basically, the Holstein cows will produce proteins that can be used for human drug therapies. And they hope to produce proteins for Federal Drug Administration clinical trials by 2005. Primarily, this essential protein is used for replacement therapy to treat liver and kidney disease, burns, blood loss or volume replacement. For the last two decades, this Iowa farm has been engaged in productive technology, emerging as a leading developer of embryo transfers. It began by supplying embryo transfers and in-vitro fertilization to livestock producers across the Midwest.