Healthcare biotechnology

Population is rapidly growing and average life expectancy is increasing as well. As a result of the progress and the evolution of society, growing opportunity for better nutrition and in general better life condition become available. All these factors have contributed to lowering the mortality rate. Nowadays, significant resources are invested for health and welfare of the population, as living longer requires more complex and expensive treatments.
 
The benefits deriving from biotechnology have an impact on health, agriculture and the environment and they all are far superior to the impacts that chemical sector had in past decades to treat many diseases (eg. Antibiotics) and to feed population (eg. pesticides).
In addition, major resources are now used in genomics and post-genomics applications for the improvement of farm species (plants and animals). The information obtained from these studies are used to select the best varieties (plants and animals) and/or characteristics of particular biomedical interest through methods of "genetic engineering", combined with in vitro reproduction techniques.
 
The program Superpig, aims to use the pig both in the biomedical and biotechnology fields. In the biomedical field for the organs and tissues transplantation, with the aim of producing genetically modified pigs which may be used  in the future for xenotransplantion while the use of the pig as an animal model is focused on  the study and treatment of genetic diseases and/or degenerative human diseases for which there are no effective treatments to date.