Transgenic rabbits for the production of biologically-active recombinant proteins in the milk

Abstract The use of live bioreactors for the expression of human genes in the mammary gland of transgenic animals is one of the most cost-effective ways for the production of valuable recombinant therapeutic proteins. Among the transgenic species used so far, rabbits are good candidates for the expression of tens to hundreds of grams of complex proteins in the milk during lactation. The lactating mammary gland of rabbits has proven to be effective in the processing of complex proteins. In this work, the potential use of rabbits as bioreactors is discussed based on our results and the published data.