South Korean Scientists Claim To Be Cloning Pigs Through Stem Cells

December 27, 2007 6:41 a.m. EST

Seoul, South Korea (AHN) - South Korean scientists on Thursday issued a claim they had developed a new and simpler way to produce cloned pigs suitable for human organ transplants.

The scientists said they had used stem cells from pigs' bone marrow to have cloned embryos unlike the traditional cloning method using somatic cells and the success rate is positive.

According to the scientists, they wanted to try to clone pigs with weight between 60 and 80 kilograms, smaller than normal adult pigs since their internal organs would be similar to human in terms of size.

The scientists said it was their first time to clone pigs using stem cells.

A senior researcher at the National Institute of Animal Science Seong Hwan-Hoo said, "This is a highly efficient method to produce cloned mini-pigs."