While trying to find a cure for AIDS, the Mayo Clinic made glow in the dark cats.

While trying to find a cure for AIDS, the Mayo Clinic made glow in the dark cats.

Cats that have been genetically modified to glow in the dark are being used to gain insights into Aids.

Cats that have been genetically modified to glow in the dark are being used to gain insights into Aids.

The scientists inserted one gene into the cats that helps them resist the feline form of Aids.

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a genome-based immunization strategy to fight feline AIDS and illuminate ways to combat human HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

But Spot's or Mittens' genes can be banked in a cryogenic chamber for $1,500, and hypoallergenic kittens cost between $6,000 and $28,000.

• Sheep. Good news, nighttime shepherds: Sheep can now glow in the dark. ...
• A rabbit. (Ekac.org/Chrystelle Fontaine) ...
• Pigs. (REUTERS/China Daily) ...
• Monkeys. Newborn transgenic marmosets Kei (left) and Kou, and their feet under ultraviolet light. ( ...
• Dogs. ...
• Cats. ...
• Fish.

Cats that have been genetically modified to glow in the dark are being used to gain insights into Aids. The scientists inserted one gene into the cats that helps them resist the feline form of Aids. They also inserted a gene that produces a fluorescent protein called GFP, Nature Methods journal reports.

Cats also have a structure behind the retina, called the tapetum, that is thought to improve night vision. ... This is what makes cats' eyes glow in the dark.

Stanford scientists have successfully developed glow-in-the-dark mice using compounds that create proteins responsible for lighting up fireflies, an advance that may pave the way for new gene therapies.