Monday, October 13, 2008

Chinese researchers record porcine handmade cloning

Chinese researchers have cloned eight piglets in a simplified method compared to traditional cloning.

The piglets were born on Aug. 30 by handmade cloning , an alternative of the conventional operation that requires expensive equipment, said Yang Huanming, a scientist at Beijing Genomics Institute's Shenzhen branch that developed the HMC technology, on Saturday at a press conference here.

HMC needs only a metal blade and skilled hands, which reduces costs and increases efficiency.

Yang, also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the piglets could reproduce in a natural way.

"Cloned pork is relatively safe, and we're prepared for large-scale production," said Yang.

BGI experts conducted porcine HMC with Denmark scientists in 2006. The Chinese experts brought in the technology in 2007 and made a success after one year's efforts.

Pig cloning could offer organs for human transplantation and it is also an important way to retain or improve rare species, according to Yang.

Source: Xinhua

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