What is transgenic organism?

A transgenic organism is a plant or an animal whose cells contain, besides their own genes, foreign genes that have been introduced for achieving a specific purpose. Such transgenic species may contain one or many select foreign gene(s) endowing them with the ability to produce special protein molecules of choice.

Transgenic cows, sheep and goats producing special human proteins, in their blood or milk are now a reality. Transgenic sheep producing a human protein called -antitrypsin in their milk have already been created. Similar efforts are in full swing to produce other important molecules such as, human blood-clotting factor (without which a person may bleed to death even from minor cuts) as a natural constituent of cow’s or pig’s milk. Transgenic tomatoes, tobacco and wheat endowed with unique traits such as resistance against pests, diseases and frost have also been created.