Please tell me I’m not the only person who thinks “this”:http://www.allerca.com is weird.
Hi, I’m Joey. I’m a 40-something software engineer (read: big nerd) in Salt Lake City. When I grow up I’d like to be a seminary professor (read: even bigger nerd).
Hmmm… Interesting
Must be in terms of stubborness
Are they doing genetic engineering?
From the link: Using patented genetic technology, the ALLERCA team will focus on the particular gene that produces the Fel d 1 glycoprotein. Using a technique known as “gene silencing”, the process reduces the gene’s ability to produce the protein.
Basically, they have a specific dsRNA that breaks up the protein that humans are allergic to. They’ve known about RNA Interference and Gene Silencing for a while, but only recently have they figured out how to make the cells pass on the dsRNA to their daughter cells without diminishment. Without that, they’d have to inject your cat every couple of days to maintain the effect.
So yes, there is a good deal of genetic engineering going on here, but no cloning or anything really similar.
I saw that on slashdot. It’s so strange, it’s funny.