Iranian doctors say they cloned a sheep
By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer
4 minutes ago
TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian doctors have overseen the country's first animal cloning — a lamb that died minutes after birth — and plan future experiments in genetics and stem cell research, a member of the team said Wednesday.
Iran's program is part of the Islamic regime's ambitions to become a regional center for medical, aerospace and nuclear technology — which has led to an international showdown over Western claims that Tehran also seeks atomic weapons.
"We learned a lot about cloning during the experiment. It made us more hopeful about further cases," said Dr. Morteza Hosseini, a member of cloning team at Isfahan Royan Institute in central Iran.
Hosseini said the cloned sheep died five minutes after birth Aug. 2 due to respiratory problems. The female sheep implanted with the cloned embryo gave birth a week ahead of schedule and was healthy, he said.
Hosseini said Iranian researchers in Tehran and Isfahan expect to carry out more cloning experiments over the coming months.
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