Worcester, MA; San Diego, CA; Sioux Center, Iowa – April 8, 2003 – Two banteng clones were born to Angus cows on April 1 and 3, 2003 as a result of a cross-continental collaboration involving the Zoological Society of San Diego, a Massachusetts laboratory and an Iowa embryo technology firm. The banteng is a wild bovine species from the forests of Southeast Asia and is closely related to the domesticated cow. The calves in Iowa are derived from cells of a male banteng who died at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in 1980 without producing offspring. The birth of these two youngsters represents an important scientific step towards developing techniques that increase the genetic population of endangered species.
The initial step to this process occurred in June 2002, with the transfer of genetic material from the cell of one bovine species to another at a laboratory in Massachusetts operated by Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT). ” Using frozen skin cells that have been stored in the San Diego Zoo’s Frozen Zoo�, the bantengs were cloned by transferring the DNA of these cells into empty eggs from ordinary domestic cows.” said Robert Lanza, Vice President of Medical and Scientific Development for ACT. “By developing this technology it is our hope that we will open the way for a new strategy to help maintain valuable biodiversity.”
The embryos were then transferred to the Trans Ova Genetics research center in Iowa. The banteng embryos were implanted into ordinary domestic cows, which successfully gestated these calves. Veterinarians at Trans Ova’s Genetic Advancement Center delivered these calves via caesarian section. Specialists from the San Diego Zoo, Iowa State University, and Trans Ova Genetics provided care for the newborns. “This entire process has been a team effort. We are proud to have been part of this team that demonstrates the value of embryo technology as a tool that can be applied to endangered species management,” Dr. David Faber, President of Trans Ova Genetics, said.
Cross-species cloning is a new procedure to be used in the fight to save endangered species and represents an application of genetic technology that was not available until just a few years ago.
“The Zoological Society of San Diego founded a genetic bank of frozen tissues samples, known as the Frozen Zoo, more than a quarter century ago.” Said Oliver Ryder, Ph.D., geneticist for the Zoological Society. “At the time we did not know how this resource might be used, but we knew it was important to save as much information about endangered species as we could.”
The banteng calves, who are active and eating well, will continue to be monitored closely by scientists and animal care staff.
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. is a medical research company involved in the research and development of stem cells and therapeutic Nuclear Transfer technology for the treatment of human disease.
Trans Ova Genetics is an embryo technology company involved in the collection and transfer of bovine embryos. Nuclear transfer is utilized to develop transgenic cows, which have the ability to produce pharmaceutical proteins in their milk. By bundling embryo technologies, cattle management, animal welfare, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance, Trans Ova Genetics is a leading delivery system for animal biotechnology.
The not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego, dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats, engages in conservation and research work around the globe. The Zoological Society manages the 100-acre San Diego Zoo, the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat) and the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES), and is working to establish field stations in five key ecological areas world-wide.
Trans Ova Genetics
(712) 722-3586
www.transova.com
Zoological Society of San Diego
(619) 685-3291
www.sandiegozoo.org
Chad Griffin
Noelle Gambill
(310) 888-3523
www.advancedcell.com