(China) YaSheng masters gene cloning process fueling FMD vaccine hopes :: BiotechEast - Taiwan and China biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, ^¤å½s×, ^¤å×§ï ::

(BiotechEast staff)

10 August, 2005
The YaSheng Group, a Chinese industrial giant from Lanzhou, Gansu Province, announced today that it had mastered a gene cloning process that allows the creation of fortified cells that combat foot and mouth disease.

Scientists at the company had also developed a simple and cost-effective technique to test live and dead animals for the disease, according to the announcement.

The company reportedly plans to use the technology to develop a vaccine for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). The company obtained a patent for the process on June 1, 2005, from the Chinese Intellectual Property Commission, while application for an international patent was also filed and is pending.

FMD is a highly infectious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and deer. In the past the only way to control FMD had been through mass culling and quarantine procedures. New legislation and the development of vaccines has now become a key FMD control strategy. The most recent epidemic occurred in 2001 when a major outbreak hit the UK and the disease affected areas in Asia, Africa, South America and the European Union which resulted in the slaughter of approximately six million animals and caused billions of dollars in damage to the affected economies.

The YaSheng Group is a industrial conglomerate headquartered in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, China, incorporated in Redwood, California and listed on the US OCT stock exchange. The company has over 15,000 employees in 130 subsidiaries in sectors such as chemical engineering, agricultural production, biotech, pharmaceuticals, textile products, printing and dyeing, commercial trading, beverages and inorganic salt manufacturing. The company has total assets of approximately US$1.5 billion and employs 15,000 people.

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