Go(a)t Milk?

Russian scientists are implanting goats with the human genes necessary to produce breast milk, reports The Telegraph. The goal, apparently, is to provide an alternate source of nutrition for babies whose mothers cannot breastfeed them, although scientists say the project could lead to a new series of drugs exploiting the antibiotic qualities of lactoferrin, a protein found in women’s milk.

“I am personally concerned about GM products,” said Igor Goldman, head of the transgenebank at the Russian Academy of Science. “You never know how they would affect your body. But with drugs it’s different. There is no way to create protein. It is too expensive to get it from human cells and impossible on an industrial scale.”

“Protein in this form is the best drug invented by God. It is a natural thing that we already have in our bodies. You don’t get allergies to it, nor any side effects.”