Many companies have been involved in cloning animals, often in collaboration
with researchers at universities. I've listed here in alphabetical order
some of the major companies performing cloning research that have information
about that research on their Web sites. Press release news, patent information,
and publications can be found on these sites. Other research groups
doing cloning in Japan, China, France and at universities were not included
here because they did not have informative Web sites in English.
- Advanced Cell Technologies
(ACT).One Innovation Drive, Biotech Three, Worcester, MA 01605 Phone:
(508) 756-1212
This company successfully cloned calves and an endangered ox, the
guar. They are the only company in the United States to openly pursue
the highly controversial therapeutic human embryo cloning. They also
are focusing a lot of their research on human embryonic stem cells
and towards that end will be establishing a research facilty in California
where voters passed Proposition 71, a “Stem Cell Initiative”
that provides $3.0 billion of funding over the next ten years for
stem cell research in the state of California. Press releases are
on the Web page.
- L'Alliance Boviteq (LAB) 1425,
grand rang Saint-François, Saint-Hyacinthe (Québec), Canada
J2S 7A9 Phone: (450) 774 7949
In September, 2000, this company cloned a famous Holstein bull in
collaboration with the University of Montreal Veterinary Faculty.
This was the first cloning of an animal from an adult somatic cell
in Canada.
- Cyagra 197 Bossler Rd., Elizabethtown,
PA 17022 Phone: (866)783-6226
A premier livestock cloning company that has produced hundreds of
cloned calves. PerPETuate,
a pet cell banking company, is in partnership with Cyagra, using the
cell banking technology to store cells from pets in hopes that one
day pet cloning will be technically possible.
- Genetic Savings and Clone
This company had a development agreement with Texas A&M University
and is investing money in animal cloning research for dogs, cats,
cattle and horses. They worked on the "CopyCat project"
which funded the successful creation of a cat clone in February 2002.
The fact that the cloned cat was not identical to the donor cat was
a public
relations problem for the company. The company is now closed.
Other companies such as Viagen
and PerPETuate (see above) are gene banking pets in hopes that cloning
will be possible some day
- Geron Corporation Menlo Park,
CA.
Geron acquired Roslin Bio-Med (a company formed by the Roslin Institute)
in 1999 and now owns their patents on the nuclear transfer process.
A list of their patents is available under their Product Development
link. One of their focuses now is human embryonic stem cell research.
- Infigen 1825 Infinity Drive,
DeForest, WI 53532. Phone: (608) 846-0500
Formed in 1997 after the cloning of the first cow from a non-embryo
derived cell, this company has since cloned many pigs as well as
cattle and received a critical patent for the nuclear transfer process.
The site has a nice glossary
of terms used in the cloning industry. They are currently working
on cloning (nuclear transfer) technologies in animals for applications
in human health care.
- Lazaron BioTechnologies (SA), Ltd..
Formerly in the United States but currently established as a South
African Biotechnology Company, Lazaron now focuses on regenerative
cell technologies. Their Animal Bio-cell Division does store genetic
material from wildlife, livestock and pets for future cloning procedures,
however, this is only one of their many projects. Much of their work
is with stem cells.
- PPL
Therapeutics Scotland, U.K.
This company collaborated with the Roslin Institute in the original
cloning of Dolly. They are particularly interested in creating cloned
animals carrying new proteins in their milkfor the purpose of curing
human disease. They have cloned Polly, a sheep who carries a human
gene to treat hemophilia B, and have also cloned cows and pigs.
There is a list of selected scientific publications, mention of
patents they hold, and a discussion of the nuclear transfer process.
- The Roslin Institute Scotland,
U.K.
This is the research institute at which Ian Wilmut and his research
group originally cloned Dolly in collaboration with PPL Therapeutics,
see above. Geron (see above) has now acquired their patents. The
Roslin Institute Web site includes a public
interest section on cloning.
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