Transgenic fish have been developed by Terry Bradley at the University of Rhode Island. A 10-year scientific effort by Bradley and his team, yielded transgenic rainbow trout displaying enhanced muscle growth. After spending 500 hours injecting 20,000 rainbow trout eggs with several DNA types designed to inhibit myostatin. The fish spawned from these eggs developed “six pack abs”, even though fish do not have abdominal muscles. The fish also displayed enlarged shoulder muscle, with an overall total of 15-20 percent increase in muscle mass.

The fish seem to exhibit normal behavior, said Bradley, who believes that “The results have significant implications for commercial aquaculture and provide completely novel information on the mechanisms of fish growth. The results also allow for comparisons between the mechanisms of growth of muscle in mammals versus fish, and it could shed light on muscle wasting diseases in humans.”

[via 3reef.com uri.edu]