Korean company's commercial cloning claims 
Snuppy the cloned dog (pictured, left) with its surrogate mother, a labrador
Photo: Wok-Suk Hwang
South Korean biotechnology company RNL Bio says it has taken its first order for a cloned dog. The firm says that Bernann McKunney of California has paid it $150,000 to clone her pit bull terrier Booger, which died in 2006. An American company had taken and preserved tissue from the dog's ear.
RNL Bio says it can clone up to 30 dogs a year at present, and expects this number to rise to around 200 by 2010. It produced the world's first cloned dog, an Afghan hound, in 2005. Company president Ra Jeong-chan says: "These days, dogs are treated like family members. There are many owners who would rather clone a favorite pet than adopt a new one after it dies." RNL Bio also claims it is to clone sniffer dogs for police forces at a reduced cost.
* The UK's Newcastle University has announced that RNL Bio has opened its European division in a unit at the 'Cels at Newcastle' bio-incubator at the University's medical school. The company will use the Newcastle site to develop stem cell therapy products by isolating and culturing stem cells from a range of sources. It will also fund projects in the laboratories of the North-East England Stem Cell Institute.
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