| arya | Date: Sunday, 28-August-2011, 9:19 PM | Message # 1 |
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| A scientist who was involved in cloning Dolly the sheep 15 years ago has started work on a new technique to clone rare Scottish wildcats.
Embryologist Dr Bill Ritchie said the project could help protect the species which is thought to number about 400 cats in the wild.
Midlothian-based Moredun Research Institute is involved.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has previously suggested cloning wildcats.
Dolly the Sheep was the first cloned mammal ever to be made from an adult cell and was the result of work at the Roslin Institute near Edinburgh.
Dr Ritchie's research has received some funding from Genecom, the commercial arm of the Moredun Research Institute and the Institute for Animal Health.
The scientist said: "Several cat species have been cloned using the domestic cat, as well as the wolf using dog eggs.
"It is very difficult to find pure wildcats due to their crossing with domestic animals, but modern scientific techniques are able to select animals which are pure bred.
"Cells collected from these animals by taking a small piece of skin would be cultured to supply cells for the cloning process."
Full article/source - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-14663911
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