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First cloned horse created in Italy
Washington, Aug 07: Italian scientists claim to have created the world`s first cloned horse, raising hopes of copying race winners and preserving rare breeds.
Washington, Aug 07: Italian scientists claim to
have created the world`s first cloned horse, raising hopes of
copying race winners and preserving rare breeds.
The birth of the healthy cloned foal was announced in
today`s issue of "nature."
Named `Prometea`, the foal was born naturally on May
28, at the laboratory of reproductive technology on the
outskirts of Cremona, Italy.
The first to have been gestated in the womb of the
same female that donated the skin cell from which the clone
was grown, Prometea belongs to the docile breed of Haflinger.
Scientists say the cloning is a good model for
studying pregnancy in humans.
"We don`t know why this happened. We`re not immunologists, we`re veterinarians. But the horse is a good model for studying pregnancy in humans, so we hope our results will encourage further research," said Cesare Galli, a leading cloning scientist who led the Italian team in cloning the horse.
"It also would allow gelding champions to contribute their genotype to future generations," he said, referring to the use of the technique in cloning race winners.
Bureau Report
"We don`t know why this happened. We`re not immunologists, we`re veterinarians. But the horse is a good model for studying pregnancy in humans, so we hope our results will encourage further research," said Cesare Galli, a leading cloning scientist who led the Italian team in cloning the horse.
"It also would allow gelding champions to contribute their genotype to future generations," he said, referring to the use of the technique in cloning race winners.
Bureau Report