What is molecular pharming? Give applications of transgenic animals in molecular pharming.
Molecular Pharming refers to the use of transgenic animals as bioreactors for the production of normal and recombinant protein products in large quantities. It involves genetically engineering animals to produce valuable therapeutic proteins on a commercial scale.
Transgenic animals have several applications in molecular pharming. They are used for large-scale production of important proteins such as α1-antitrypsin and human α-lactalbumin. An early example of success in the 1990s was the transgenic ewe named Tracy. Various human recombinant proteins are produced in the milk of transgenic animals, including Albumin (Cow), α-fetoprotein (Goat), Growth hormone (Goat), Tissue plasminogen activator (Goat), Coagulation factor IX (Mouse), and Coagulation factor VIII (Rabbit).
Explanation
The answer defines molecular pharming from the context and lists specific applications with examples. The textbook clearly states that transgenic animals are used as bioreactors for producing proteins in large quantities, which is molecular pharming. The table provides concrete examples of proteins produced in different transgenic animals.