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By Koren Wetmore
A California firm hopes to use genetic engineering to put cats back into the lives of millions of allergy sufferers worldwide.
Employing a process called RNA silencing, the company plans to disrupt the chemical signal that causes the cat’s body to produce the protein Fel d 1, the most common allergen found in cats.
“We’re doing this at the embryonic stage, literally with just a few cells. That tiny embryo is then implanted into a surrogate mother and a kitten is born 90 days later,” says Simon Brodie, president of Allerca, a San Diego-based firm that proposes delivery of the first hypoallergenic kittens by 2007.
What Will They Cost?
For a $250 deposit, clients can reserve one of the British Shorthair kittens. When born, reserved kittens will cost $3,500. The remainder of the litter will cost up to $10,000 each on the free market...
Full text available to editors upon request.
Employing a process called RNA silencing, the company plans to disrupt the chemical signal that causes the cat’s body to produce the protein Fel d 1, the most common allergen found in cats.
“We’re doing this at the embryonic stage, literally with just a few cells. That tiny embryo is then implanted into a surrogate mother and a kitten is born 90 days later,” says Simon Brodie, president of Allerca, a San Diego-
What Will They Cost?
For a $250 deposit, clients can reserve one of the British Shorthair kittens. When born, reserved kittens will cost $3,500. The remainder of the litter will cost up to $10,000 each on the free market...
Full text available to editors upon request.
Excerpt from “Allergy-Free Cats Coming?”
Cat Fancy
March 2005
March 2005
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