ANDi facts for kids
ANDi was the first genetically modified rhesus monkey. He was born at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) on October 1, 2001. OHSU named the monkey ANDi because it stands for iDNA spelled backward. This means the letters are reversed from "iDNA," which refers to the special DNA that was added to him.
How ANDi Was Born
ANDi was born with an extra gene that came from a jellyfish. This gene is called green fluorescent protein (GFP). It's a special gene that can make things glow. Scientists took this GFP gene from a jellyfish and carefully added it to ANDi's DNA inside his chromosomes.
Scientists chose to use rhesus monkeys for this research. This is because rhesus monkeys share about 95% of their genes with humans. This makes them very helpful for studying human health and diseases.
How Scientists Created ANDi
Creating ANDi was a complex process. Scientists started with many monkey eggs. They injected a special protein into 224 eggs. Out of these, 166 eggs were successfully fertilized. This means about 75% of the eggs were ready for the next step.
Then, 126 of these fertilized eggs grew into early-stage embryos. Scientists then placed 40 of these embryos into 20 different rhesus monkey mothers. Each mother received two embryos. Out of these, five of the mothers became pregnant.
Finally, three baby monkeys were born. Only one of these babies, ANDi, had the special jellyfish gene. The lead scientist, Gerald Schatten, believed this method would be very important. He thought it would help scientists find new ways to treat human diseases.
Why ANDi Is Important
Creating ANDi was a big step forward in science and technology. Scientists hoped that by genetically changing a monkey, they could learn more about serious human diseases like cancer.
Since ANDi was born, scientists have wanted to make even more changes to DNA. They hope to create monkeys that can help them study diseases like breast cancer or HIV. Scientists also want to use this method to learn about and find cures for other illnesses. These include Alzheimer's disease, AIDS, and diabetes.
Even though ANDi has the glowing gene, he doesn't actually glow. The gene is present, but it doesn't seem to be active in him.
See also
In Spanish: ANDi para niños
- List of individual monkeys
- Tetra (monkey)
