Unique method proves successful in Japan

For the first time, scientists have managed to clone a mouse using just a single drop of blood taken from the tail.

Researchers at the RIKEN BioResource Center in Japan questioned whether white blood cells taken from an easily accessible area, such as the tail, could be used for cloning.

The preferred method for cloning is currently to gather the cumulus cells that surround oocytes in the ovarian follicle.

As expected, scientists found that of the five types of white blood cells, lymphocytes were the least successful, with only 1.7 per cent of embryos developing.

As the largest cells, granulocytes and monocytes are the easiest cells to take from blood samples, and 2.1 per cent of these embryos developed. Cumulus cells remained the highest performing donor cells with 2.7 per cent of embryos surviving to term.

Despite this, however, Drs Satoshi Kamimura and Atsuo Ogura at the BioResource Center say the findings prove that mice can be successfully cloned using blood cells.

Furthermore, the unique procedure poses minimal risks to the donor, and scientists found that success rates for re-cloning the same cell rose from three per cent to 10 per cent in first generation clones.

Researchers in Japan are now working to improve the performance of granulocyte donor cells through further study.

Image © RIKEN BioResource Center