How farm animals are improving human health and welfare

The contribution of farm animals to human health and welfare cannot be properly addressed without reflecting on the impact that animal domestication has had upon human civilisation. About 14,000 years ago, the Neolithic revolution started with the domestication of animals and plants, resulting in the emergence of the main agricultural breeds of livestock and crops. In contrast, the breeding of new animal species for biomedical research, such as small rodents and other model species, is a relatively recent activity. The cellular and molecular mechanisms of inheritance have only been understood over the past few decades and translated into approaches to improve breeding success. In recent years, seminal discoveries in the fields of cellular reprogramming, genetic engineering, and whole-genome sequencing have accelerated this development. The first therapeutic proteins produced by biopharming in livestock have been approved to treat human patients. The suitability of pluripotent stem cells as a source for cell replacement therapies is currently being investigated, using farm animals as informative preclinical models. Disease modelling in farm animals allows systematic testing of effective treatments. Within the context of these developments, this concise review will focus on the contribution of farm animals to human health and welfare.