Cows Cloned from Milk
Healthy Calves from Milk Right After Delivery
The Associated Press
T O K Y O, April 26 — Two calves cloned from cells found in cow’s
milk have been born in northern Japan, officials said today.
The births last week at the Snow Brand dairy company’s research center in Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido were the first ever using colostrum — the milk produced in the first week after a cow has delivered, the company said in a statement.
The procedure could make it safer for animals to donate their cells for cloning, as the extraction of cells from milk does not require making an incision in the donor cow and reduces the risk of infection, Snow Brand said.
The cloned calves were produced by combining the nucleus of a
mammary cell with an unfertilized egg and inserting the embryo into
the uterus of a surrogate cow. It was the same method used to produce
the sheep Dolly, the world’s first cloned animal.
Two Out of Three Had Babies
Three cows were made pregnant through the technique, but only two
succeeded in giving birth. One of the calves was delivered through
Caesarean section on April 20 and the other was delivered naturally
the following day, the company said.
Japan has recently been aggressively developing cloning techniques in order to maintain the competitiveness of its cattle industry by producing high quality beef at a cheap price.
A controversy erupted earlier this month after the government said that cloned beef has been on the market in Japan for at least two years, prompting protests from consumer groups worried about its safety. The government insists the meat poses no health threat.
Tokyo-based Snow Brand is Japan’s largest dairy product company, and has cloned several cows in the past.
Copyright 1999 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
S U M M A R Y
Japanese scientists have cloned a calf from cow’s milk, opening up a
new avenue for the controversial genetic operation.
Copyright ©1999 ABC News Internet Ventures. Click here for Terms of
Use and Privacy Policy applicable to this site.
Gina "Nanogirl" Miller
Nanotechnology Industries
Web Page
http://www.nanoindustries.com
E-mail
echoz@hotmail.com
Alternate E-mail
nanogirl@halcyon.com
"The science of nanotechnology, solutions for the future."