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.
===
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