Jo Zayner and Cathy Tie have started the venture-backed company 'The Los Angeles Project' to create genetically modified animals that they plan to sell to consumers. Fluorescent and hypoallergenic rabbits to start, and then cats with antlers and other mammals with Pangolin-like scales. As Zayner puts it: 'Sure, there’s been fluorescent cats, but has anybody ever seen one other than some picture on the internet? We want to take this technology and make it real to people in the real world. We want to sell them pets'. However, the general public and regulators may not take kindly to the concept of some scientists with commercial aims mucking around with the genes of bunnies, cats and dogs. (Note: The 1517 Fund and Andy Weissman from Union Square Ventures are investors).
ASHLEE VANCE: The ‘Los Angeles Project’ is the latest in a long line of controversial genetic engineering efforts from Jo Zayner… Zayner and co-founder Cathy Tie have started a venture-backed company to create genetically modified animals that they plan to sell to consumers. We’re talking fluorescent and hypoallergenic rabbits to start and then perhaps cats with antlers and other mammals with Pangolin-like scales… The 1517 Fund and Andy Weissman from Union Square Ventures have invested…
Zayner’s free-wheeling, uninhibited style has not always endeared her to the more traditional scientific community. And it’s doubtful that the Los Angeles Project will rectify this situation. What’s more, the general public and regulators may not take kindly to the concept of some scientists with commercial aims mucking around with the genes of bunnies, cats and dogs…
The company began performing gene edits in secret on fish, frogs and axolotls. “Amphibians are really great because they’ll lay clutches of eggs that are basically like embryos,” Zayner says. “That really allowed us to build out our workflow, test a bunch of different CRISPR edits and insert genes into genomes and all that good stuff.”
At the start of this year, the Los Angeles Project then began working with rabbits – lots of rabbits. “We’ve made fast progress with IVF and injecting embryos,” Zayner says. “We’ll probably implant our first genetically engineered embryos in the next month and have our first genetically engineered rabbit very soon, which will be fun.” Those first rabbits will be the fluorescent and hypoallergenic ones with more complex traits like antlers coming by year end, Zayner says…
Or, as Zayner puts it, “Sure, there’s been green, fluorescent cats but has anybody ever seen one other than some picture on the internet? We want to take this technology and make it real to people in the real world. We want to sell them pets.”
Moving forward, Zayner thinks we could use similar technology to, for example, breed pigs that produce organs suited for humans. “This is totally being slept on,” she says. “We should be throwing money at it. That’s the answer to longevity. Not some fucking olive oil…
Some people might be disturbed to read about this start-up. And that’s understandable. Other people will have massive doubts as to whether or not the Los Angeles Project can really pull off much of what it’s planning. Also, understandable…
“I just want to be treated the same way as everyone else,” Zayner says. “Humans kill like 70 billion chickens per year. Scientists also kill animals on a scale that’s just insane to get embryos. “I’m using the waste streams of all this to understand living things and make life better in a way that will contribute to society. We treat our animals much better than they would be treated at another lab. We feed them fresh food, and their cages are huge. SOURCE…
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