Exhibit 99.1

CONTACT:
GTC Biotherapeutics, Inc.                   Burns McClellan, Inc.
Thomas E. Newberry                          Jonathan M. Nugent (investors)
Vice President, Corporate Communications    Kathy Jones, Ph.D. (media)
(508) 270-2374                              (212) 213-0006



           GENZYME TRANSGENICS CORPORATION BECOMES GTC BIOTHERAPEUTICS

FRAMINGHAM, MA - June 3, 2002 -- Genzyme Transgenics Corporation has changed its
name to GTC Biotherapeutics, Inc. and its Nasdaq ticker symbol to GTCB effective
today. GTC's primary web address has also been changed to www.gtc-bio.com. The
name change was recently approved by shareholders.

"The change of our name to GTC Biotherapeutics brings clarity to our identity
and independence while highlighting the familiar initials by which we are
already known," stated Geoffrey F. Cox, GTC's Chairman, President and CEO.

GTC Biotherapeutics (Nasdaq: GTCB) continues its mission of developing
therapeutic proteins in the milk of transgenic animals. With more than a dozen
programs and one in clinical trials, GTC is moving from demonstrating transgenic
technology to developing both large volume protein therapeutics as well as
products that are difficult to produce in significant quantities from
conventional bioreactor systems. GTC's lead program, recombinant human
antithrombin III (rhATIII), is in a pharmacokinetic clinical study for patients
with a hereditary deficiency of this blood protein. ATIII has anticoagulant and
anti-inflammatory properties. Many of the other programs are developing
monoclonal antibodies and immunoglobulin fusion proteins for conditions such as
rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS and cancer. Additional information is available
on the GTC web site, http://www.gtc-bio.com.