Why Pursue Animal Cloning Research?
Research on nuclear transfer cloning in animals may provide information that will be useful in biotechnology, medicine, and basic science. Some of the immediate goals of this research are: • to generate groups of genetically identical animals for research purposes • to rapidly propagate desirable animal stocks • to improve the efficiency of generating and propagating transgenic livestock • to produce targeted genetic alterations in domestic animals • to pursue basic knowledge about cell differentiation Cloning Animals for Research Purposes Inbred strains of mice have been a mainstay of biological research for years because they are essentially genetically identical and homozygous (i.e., both copies of each gene inherited from the mother and father are identical). Experimental analysis is simplified because differences in genetic background that often lead to experimental variation are eliminated. Generating such homozygous inbred lines in larger animals is difficult and time consuming
