An improvement in cloning technology developed by ABS Global (ABS), DeForest, Wis., has the potential to commercially advance the process into "cattle breeding, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and xenotransplantation fields."
The announcement of the improvement was accompanied by the introduction of "Gene" a Holstein bull calf developed using the new process. Along with Gene, ABS officials introduced the new spin-off company "Infigen" that will explore the market potential of the new development.

"There are two market opportunities," says Dale Schwartz, CEO of Infigen. "The first is in the area of animal breeding and the second is in the human health field."

For dairy and beef producers, Michael Bishop, VP research, Infigen, explains that the cloning process can reduce variability in dairy and beef herds. The results are dairy herds that perform consistently and beef cattle that can produce consistently tasty, juicy meat.

In the area of human health, Infigen officials say the first potential application is with the pharmaceutical industry. It's believed that using bovines to produce medicines is more economical than other methods or using other species of animals. Further, Infigen officials say the start-up costs are greatly lowered for such enterprises.

Such things as vaccines, plasma components and certain antibodies can be produced from genetically manipulated cows. There is also the potential to now use cows for "xenotransplantation." This is the process of growing or modifying human organs in an animal for transplanting into humans.

How Does the Infigen Cloning Process Differ from Previous Cloning Techniques?
Bishop explains that the first material comes from "non-embryonic cells" found in bovine fetuses called "stem cells." The stem cells are then cultured and processed and eventually introduced to an egg cell that has had its nucleus removed. The cells then develop into an embryo which is transferred to a recipient cow for normal fetal development.

Treated stem cell material is stable in culture. It can be frozen and thawed repeatedly. This process yields viable embryos about 30% of the time and of that 50% result in pregnancies, Bishop says.

Every step of the process is done in a lab right up until the embryo is placed in the recipient cow. By keeping the process in the lab, Bishop says they retain greater control and that control improves efficiency.

Secondly, because the stem cell material is stable and can be frozen and thawed, the materials are available for as long as they are needed. Genetic materials developed for specific purposes can be kept "indefinitely."

The major advancement is in the efficiency of the cloning process. It will take less time and money to develop and market materials with this process than previously used cloning processes, Infigen officials say.

Even with the improvement in cloning efficiency and cost, Schwartz says it may be five to 10 years before dairy and beef producers are introduced to commercial products based on cloning.

Infigen will partner with ABS on the livestock genetics side of the business. The new company will also seek out other "collaborators" to develop products for the human health market.