The $3,000 Minipig Powering Europe’s Drug Pipeline

Jens Ellegaard’s pig farm is not like others nestled among the rapeseed and wheat fields of eastern Denmark. There’s no livestock smell, muddy yards or clattering machinery. Breeding units are divided into tightly managed zones where staff follow strict hygiene protocols, water is treated with ultraviolet light, and temperature is regulated by a geothermal system that circulates air through 30 kilometers (19 miles) of underground piping.

The site, Ellegaard Gottingen Minipigs A/S, is more of a biosecurity facility. Its pigs are smaller than standard farm pigs, with some varieties genetically modified to mimic human immune responses and organ function. ...