San Diego, CA - Earlier this week, researchers admitted that a pair of banteng calves born last week were cloned from an animal that had died more than 20 years ago, and the technology may be used to assist other endangered species...
Trans Ova Genetics, which grew out of small veterinarian practice established in a garage 29 years ago, is recognized today as a world leader in livestock genetics. In its core business, the Sioux Center-based company annually collects and transfers hundreds of beef and dairy cattle embryos, helping producers across the nation improve the genetics of their herds. It's cloned not only domestic cattle, but also rare bovine breeds in cooperative projects with the San Diego Zoo.
At its "Genetic Advancement Center,'' Trans Ova is developing cutting-edge technology to extract valuable pharmaceuticals from the milk and blood of genetically-modified cows.
However, their abilities have allowed for another achievement; the preservation of endangered species. The Asian banteng is a species of wild cattle which is nearing extinction.
Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technologies said cells frozen from an animal that died in 1980 without leaving any offspring were successfully cloned using cells from cattle, and two of the babies made it to birth last week.
"The bantengs were cloned by transferring the DNA from these cells into empty eggs from ordinary domestic cows. We implanted the cloned embryos into a herd of beef cattle which served as surrogate moms. Although we started with 16 pregnancies, only two of them went to term," said Dr. Robert Lanza, chief scientist for ACT.
The experiment, a collaboration including ACT, the San Diego Zoo, Iowa State University and Trans Ova Genetics, worked in part because bantengs are closely related to domestic cattle.
A similar experiment was attempted two years earlier, with an ox-like animal called a gaur, however, the calf died within a few days. On the other hand, the pair of bantengs are vigorous and healthy, according to Lanza.
"The Zoological Society of San Diego founded a genetic bank of frozen tissues samples, known as the Frozen Zoo, more than a quarter century ago," Oliver Ryder, a geneticist for the zoo, said in a statement.
"At the time we did not know how this resource might be used, but we knew it was important to save as much information about endangered species as we could."
Experts point out that resurrecting a species will require more than re-creating an animal or two. Genetic diversity -- having many animals to interbreed -- is essential for maintaining a healthy population.
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