Scientists Have Created the First Genetically-Engineered Marsupial

upstart writes:

Scientists Have Created the First Genetically Engineered Marsupial:

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) have succeeded in creating the first genetically engineered marsupial. This study, published in the scientific journal Current Biology, will contribute to deciphering the genetic background of unique characteristics observed only in marsupials.

[...] Since marsupials have unique characteristics, studying them requires developing a representative animal model. To date, the best option is the opossum, which is thought to be the ancestor of all marsupials. The first marsupial to have its entire genome sequenced, the opossum makes a good model animal because its size and breeding characteristics are similar to those of mice and rats.

Like other marsupials, the opossum has a variety of characteristics that are not found in other mammals. It develops without a functional placenta, and pups are born prematurely. Like humans, but not other non-marsupial mammals, it gets skin cancer simply by exposure to ultraviolet light. Also unlike other mammals, newborn opossum pups with spinal cord injuries have the ability to naturally heal themselves. Because of these unique characteristics, studying marsupial biology is gaining interest. However, it has been difficult to analyze their underlying genetics without established technology to genetically modify marsupials.

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