No Mad Cow Disease

Cows that cannot contract mad cow disease and pigs to be used for organ transplants were born in Korea.

On Wednesday, professor Hwang Woo-seok of the veterinary college at Seoul National University announced, “Four cows resistant to mad cow disease were born on November 15 and are now in a healthy state, and pigs for organ transplants were born three times from September to November, but all are dead,” saying, “both cases are the first results of research around the world.”

The research on cows resistant to mad cow disease is a project carried out by 120 researchers from seven universities, including Seoul National University, Chonnam National University and Chungbuk National University, over three years. It has now applied for an international patent. Professor Hwang said, “We confirmed four cows born by reproduction so far have resistance to mad cow disease after verification by a gene test.”

His research team plans a medical experiment on a living body in a sanitary animal research facilities in Sukuba, Japan next March, after a gene test is performed when additional reproductive cows are born from 15 pregnant cows.

President Roh Moo-hyun promised the government’s strong support on a visit to the place where the announcement of the cows resistant to mad cow disease was made, saying, “The government will give support for the development of biotechnology high priority.”

wolfkim@donga.com