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Before they could try transferring a gene, the scientists had to master the technique of in vitro (that is, test-tube) fertilization, which isn't typically used with monkeys. Though the technique wasn't required to create ANDi, the Oregon team had already learned to clone the animals, which in the future will prove important since having identical copies of different monkey strains will be crucial for rigorous scientific experiments. That milestone--the first cloning of a primate by embryo splitting--was achieved by Schatten's group last year...
...technique, so they decided to use a gene that occurs naturally in jellyfish, where it directs the production of a harmless protein that glows with a greenish light under the right illumination. Mice, rabbits and other creatures who have had the same gene inserted actually do shine dimly; while ANDi (his name is a backward acronym for "inserted DNA") does not, the scientists have detected traces of the gene in his muscle, hair, cheek and blood cells. The researchers suspect that the gene may not be expressing its protein--or at least not at detectable levels--and may turn...
Even if the new gene has indeed made it into ANDi's reproductive cells--which can't be known until he reaches sexual maturity in four or five years--there are plenty of hurdles to creating useful research monkeys. Scientists still must learn to substitute a malfunctioning gene for the animal's healthy version, then hope the gene expresses its protein at the right time, in the right place and in the right amount to mimic human disease. For diseases involving the misbehavior of several genes, the difficulties will only be compounded. "These techniques are really in their infancy compared...
...animal-rights activists, the leap from mouse to monkey will be a red flag. More broadly troubling, ANDi's success also raises the specter of human-germline gene engineering--that is, altering people's basic DNA so that any changes are passed on to their offspring. This sort of genetic tinkering, which could ultimately lead to "designer babies," artificially enhanced to be healthier, smarter or even more attractive, is currently far beyond our expertise. Nobody is likely to try to play God with humans in this way for decades...
...part that's because, as ANDi's case proves, it's very difficult and expensive to do, and because the unexpected side effects of gene transfers will be hard to predict. Indeed, even conventional gene therapy, which doesn't change the basic germline, has become controversial since the death of Jesse Gelsinger in a gene-therapy trial at the University of Pennsylvania last year. Besides, scientists have much simpler ways to stave off at least some genetic diseases. Parents whose embryos have the gene for Tay-Sachs disease, for example, can test for that defect and never bring the embryo...