Japan scientists clone freeze-dried mice in bid to beat extinction
- The scientists created 75 cloned mice from freeze-dried cells using a technique they believe could one day help conserve species
- There are some other drawbacks, however – the success rate of cloning mice using the freeze-dried method is just 0.02 per cent
Japanese scientists have successfully produced cloned mice using freeze-dried cells in a technique they believe could one day help conserve species and overcome challenges with current methods of storing biological samples.
Facilities have sprang up globally to preserve samples from endangered species with the goal of preventing their extinction by future cloning.
These samples are generally cryopreserved using liquid nitrogen or kept at extremely low temperatures, which can be costly and vulnerable to power outages.
They also usually involve sperm and egg cells, which can be difficult or impossible to harvest from old or infertile animals.
They experimented with two types of mice cells, and found that, while freeze-drying killed them and caused significant DNA damage, they could still produce cloned blastocysts – a ball of cells that develops into an embryo.
