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Cloned Foals: Some May Need Expert Neonatal CareBy Kentucky Equine Research Staff · February 3, 2010
When health records from 14 cloned foals produced at Texas A & M University between 2004 and 2008 were examined, it was noted that 6 of the 14 were normal at birth while 8 showed problems such as angular forelimb deformities, neonatal maladjustment syndrome ("dummy foals"), and enlarged umbilical remnants.
The foals were produced using somatic cell nuclear transfer, a technique in which a cell from an adult horse has the DNA removed and transferred into an egg which is then placed in a recipient mare's uterus. Noting the high percentage of abnormalities in this small sample, the researchers conducting the study suggested that foals derived from nuclear transfer should be born at a veterinary center equipped to handle critically ill neonates.
