DeFOREST, Wis., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Infigen, Inc. announced today it has successfully produced a clone of the renowned Canadian Holstein cow Crescentmead-A Margo, VG-86-4y. The Infigen clone, ``Margo II,'' is the oldest adult bovine clone in Canada since going home in October to Ganaraska Holsteins in Ontario. ``Margo II'' calved September 25 and is now milking over 100 pounds per day.
Infigen is a privately held biotechnology company merging genomics and reproductive technologies to advance both animal agriculture and human health. Genmark, the technology service of Infigen, makes AGRICLONING(TM), the process used to produce ``Margo II,'' commercially available for all animal agriculture producers.
``Infigen is privileged to have the opportunity to perpetuate a genuine national resource through the cloning of the late Crescentmead-A Margo, and to make available a wholly new technology for breeders. Our proprietary cloning technologies are available commercially to enable those in animal agriculture to reproduce exact genetic replicas of their animals of high genetic merit,'' said Dr. Michael Bishop, Infigen's President and Chief Scientific Officer. ``Margo II demonstrates that cloned dairy cattle, produced using Infigen's patented Nuclear Transfer (NT) process, can reach sexual maturity and perform in a normal dairy environment.''
``Margo,'' owned by Dr. Ralph Warren of Ganaraska Holsteins, produced over 55,000 pounds of milk at 2 years of age. She passed away in 1998 at four years of age. Cells for the NT cloning process were collected after her ovaries were harvested in Canada for in vitro fertilization.
``Margo II is very healthy. This is a tremendous opportunity to return Margo's genetics to the breed,'' said Dr. Warren. ``'Margo II' gives us a chance to benefit the dairy industry nationwide by perpetuating Margo's unique genetic potential.''
Despite the fact ``Margo II'' first calved at a younger age than ``Margo'' did, she still shows excellent milk test results. She will complete her two-year-old record at the end of her lactation cycle in summer 2002.
ABOUT INFIGEN AND GENMARK:
Infigen, Inc., formed in August 1997, is a privately held biotechnology company commercializing its proprietary nuclear transfer cloning in the animal agriculture and human health fields. The company has an existing strategic partnership with Immerge BioTherapuetics, Inc., a joint venture of Novartis Pharma AG and BioTransplant Incorporated (Nasdaq: BTRN - news), to develop genetically modified miniature swine for the study of xenotransplantation (transplantation between species). In 2000, Infigen was issued a U.S. patent covering critical processes for cloning any mammal, excluding humans, utilizing Nuclear Transfer. The company is the first in North America to have cloned three species of farm animals -- beef and dairy cattle, domestic pigs and sheep. Infigen markets its agricultural products under the trademark name of Genmark. In addition to its AGRICLONIG(TM) products, Genmark also markets marker assisted selection, diagnostic testing and tissue/cell harvesting and storage. For further information on Infigen and Genmark, visit www.infigen.com and www.genmarkag.com ... |
