Chapter 11 Links
Transgenic Animals

Oncomouse

• Of oncomice and men
  • When it comes to patenting genetically modified mice, John Gillott finds he has more time for the arguments of the biotechnology industry than for those of its radical critics. An article from the UK's Living Marxism magazine, with a definite viewpoint, but not exactly what you might expect about this controversial issue.
• What do you mean, you want to patent a mouse?
  • "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door. Build a better mouse and the bureaucrats come knocking. That's the case with a small, intentionally defective American mouse at the centre of an international ethical controversy." An interesting article for the layperson from Canada's News Waves.
• "Legal protection of biotechnological inventions is a mess"
  • Unlike plant varieties, animal varieties may be left unprotected in a proposed European Union Directive on patent protection for biotechnological discoveries currently being drafted by the European Commission. Interesting legal background.
• "Oncomouse" trial ends in confusion
  • The European Patent Office hearing on the Harvard University 'oncomouse' has broken up in confusion. Unexpectedly, the EPO's tribunal called a halt to the proceedings after advising Harvard to redraft its patent claims.

Alzheimer's Disease

• Alzheimer's Association
  • The Alzheimer's Association is the oldest and largest national voluntary health organization dedicated to research for the causes, cure, and prevention of Alzheimer's disease and to providing education and support services to Alzheimer's patients, their families and caregivers. (This site has all the latest information.)
• Ask NOAH About: Alzheimer's Disease
  • From the terrific resources of the New York Online Access to Health (NOAH). Valuable answers to many questions about this disease.
• Alzheimer's FamilyCare
  • A nice looking site that is also very complete. Alzheimer's FamilyCare is a cost-free support service from Parke-Davis for patients with Alzheimer's disease and their family members/caregivers.
• Alzheimer Web
  • The Alzheimer Web provides a resource for researchers in the field of Alzheimer's disease and for the people who have an interest in research developments.
• The Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia
  • The goal of the Institute is to mobilize and unify University resources to discover meaningful ways to prevent decline in brain function with aging prior to its inception and to reverse loss of function once it has occured. (This institute deals with more than Alzheimer's Disease.)
• Alzheimer's Disease Review
  • An internet journal which offers discussion of the latest advances in research and an overview of current issues.

Knockout Mouse

• It's A Knockout: Mice Advancing Research As Lab Animals Of Choice
  • Holly Ahern's great article from The Scientist all about mice. Much more than merely marvelous murine mania!
• Some Info. About Knockout Mice
  • Found on Access Excellence's site so it's bound to be good.

Human Hemoglobin

• Image of hemoglobin (human)
  • A colorful, 3-D image...but no text.
• Beyond the Basics: In Search of a Blood Substitute
  • One of the hottest medical contests of the 1990s is the race to develop a safe, inexpensive, disease free, universal substitute for human blood.
• Improving humans' blood with crocodiles'
• Mice and Men: Making the Most of Our Similarities
  • In fact, the similarities between sections of human and mouse DNA enable researchers working with mouse genes to make surprisingly accurate predictions about the location and function of their human counterparts.

Alpha-1-Antitrypsin

• Alpha1 National Association
  • Information on and descriptions of alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency; strategies for living with A1AD, a genetic disease affecting the liver and the lungs.
• Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
  • Good overview of this genetic disease from the Applied Medical Informatics site.
• AlphaNet Online
  • This site is an education and communication source for anyone seeking information regarding alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency.
• The Alpha-1 Community Internet Guide
  • Lots of info.

Bovine Leukemia Virus (BLV)

• A slice of immunology
  • A researchers personal page about his work.
• Bovine Leukosis (aka bovine leukemia)
  • A lengthy, fairly technical article on bovine leukemia by the Cooperative Extension at Penn State University. Written for veterinarians.
• Milk...Help Yourself (To Cancer, AIDS, and Multiple Sclerosis?)
  • The possible dangers from virally-contaminated milk, from a Jeremy Rifkin disciple. Taken from the Envirolink site, an environmental advocacy group with strong opinions.

Interferon

• Genentech Granted Product License For Interferon Gamma-1B
• Roferon-A (Interferon Alfa-2a, Recombinant) Cleared For Marketing By FDA - First Interferon for Treatment of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
• Interferon Sciences, Inc.
  • Interferon Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company currently engaged in the study, manufacture and sale of pharmaceutical products based on its highly purified, natural source, multispecies alpha interferon (Natural Alpha Interferon).
• Interferon Treatment for Hepatitis B and C
  • Questions and answers from the American Liver Foundation.
• Interferon Treatment of Viral Hepatitis
  • This page provides only an introduction to treatment of chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C with interferon.

Transgenic Schistosomiasis

• Schistosomiasis
  • Very thorough background on the disease from the excellent resources of the World Health Organization, Division of Control of Tropical Diseases.