World’s first pigs cloned by robotic instrument from Tianjin

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China has proven its success in pig cloning, as test results show the new-born piglets and surrogate sows are genetically unrelated.

The two sows gave birth to 13 pure-bred piglets after a 110-day pregnancy in April.

The Robotics Institute at Nankai University in Tianjin headed the study on pig cloning derived from somatic cells, in cooperation with the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Research Institute.

Scientists made use of the somatic cell nuclear transfer, a classic technique used for improving the variety of crops, which transfers the cell nucleus of a somatic cell into an egg without a nucleus.

The advantage of this method is that it guarantees the quality of the egg. However, the low success rate limits the development of this technique.

Based on this technique, the research group invested in an in-situ microanalysis micromanipulator that combined all the functions of testing, analysis, and operation into one instrument, contributing greatly to the process of removing a nucleus.

The researcher team./ CFP Picture‍

One of the key challenges of this experiment was to maintain the integrity of the delicate cells during the process. Researchers had to make adjustments to ensure the smallest possible force was applied when moving cells and removing nucleuses. The deformational degree of cells decreased from 30~40 mm to 10~15 mm afterwards, which remarkably improved subsequent development of cell.

Team leader Zhao Xin said the research built a connection between cell micro operation and cell development, and can help others make more achievements. The research has broad implications, and can be applied to areas such as assisted reproductive technology, plants and animals species improvement, family practice and animal production systems.

Scientists have cloned mice, cattle and other animals since the world’s first cloned sheep, Dolly, was born on July 5, 1996, in Britain. Since 2000, Chinese scientists have cloned sheep, cattle and pigs.

(With input from China Daily)