Glow In The Dark Cat – Pics of Mr. Green Genes, the cat genetically modified to glow in the dark as part of a Cystic Fibrosis research experiment.

The glow in the dark cat looks normal when the lights are turned on, but Mr. Green Genes was genetically engineered to have a flourescent gene marking where a gene for cystic fibrosis is within his DNA.

Mr. Green Genes is a 6-month-old orange tabby but, under ultraviolet light, his eyes, gums and tongue glow a vivid lime green, the result of a genetic experiment at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species.

The Audubon scientists want to use their glowing-gene technique to develop a gene-therapy treatment for cystic fibrosis.

The researchers made the glow in the dark cat so they could learn whether a gene could be introduced harmlessly into the feline’s genetic sequence to create what is formally known as a transgenic cat. If successful, it would be the first step in a process that could lead to the development of ways to combat diseases via gene therapy.

“Cats are ideal for this project because their genetic makeup is similar to that of humans”, Dr. Martha Gomez, a veterinarian and staff scientist at the center told reporters.

Mr. Green Genes’ next role for the center will combine science and sex. He will become a stud so the Audubon team can determine whether the fluorescence gene can be transmitted. That should take no more than two breeding cycles, Gomez said.

“If he is fertile and if the female is fertile, it should be quick,” she said. “The idea is not to have a lot of green cats around, but to demonstrate that the gene can be passed.”

After that, he will retire to Gomez’s home, where two cats already live.

“I feel that he is my baby,” said Gomez, who led the team that created him.

“You have to realize that this is our first transgenic cat,” she said. “I don’t want him to go to just anybody. I feel he is mine.”

And that’s the latest news on Mr. Green Genes, the Glow In The Dark Cat.

Tags: genetically altered cat, glow in the dark cat, glowing cat, mr green genes

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