Source: China Daily

04-29-2009 11:21

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean scientists say they have engineered four beagles that glow red using cloning techniques that could help develop cures for human diseases. The four dogs, all named "Ruppy" — a combination of the words "ruby" and "puppy" — look like typical beagles by daylight.

In this undated photo released by the Seoul National University shows the world's first transgenic female beagle dog carrying fluorescent  genes that make the canine glow red, named Ruppy in 2 days after birth at Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, April 28, 2009. [Agencies]

But they glow red under ultraviolet light, and the dogs' nails and abdomens, which have thin skins, look red even to the naked eye.

Seoul National University professor Lee Byeong-chun, head of the research team, called them the world's first transgenic dogs carrying fluorescent genes, an achievement that goes beyond just the glowing novelty.

"What's significant in this work is not the dogs expressing red colors but that we planted genes into them," Lee told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

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