It is especially difficult to create dogs
How the cloning industry is developing in China
The Celestial Empire is preparing to supply clones to order. Even to Russia
Nikolay Selishchev, TASS
The pet cloning industry in China is taking leaps and bounds. As is the case with other advanced developments, the Chinese are able to achieve great success in this at a lower cost. The genetic engineering and cloning company Sinogene is already preparing to enter international markets. It also seeks to strengthen partnership contacts with research institutes and specialized knowledge-intensive enterprises of other countries, including Russia. This was told to TASS by the deputy Director General of this organization, Wang Yining.
"If there are people in Russia who are interested in our company, we are ready to receive them, arrange a tour for them," he said. – We are interested in cooperation with the Russian side. Russian companies can present their vision to us, and perhaps we will find common ground, see the prospects for mutually complementary cooperation, and after the dialogue we will start interacting in various areas."
Dogs can be cloned on a regular basis so far only in three countries – in China, the Republic of Korea and the USA. "The Koreans were the first to master the relevant technologies, they started creating clone dogs back in 2002. As a result of cooperation with the South Korean side, the United States also began to put such developments into practice in the future. We have our own technologies that have nothing to do with these two countries," Wang Yining said.
The management of Sinogene plans to establish regular contacts with its South Korean and American like-minded people in the near future. To do this, according to Wang Yining, small delegations of the company's specialists will go there: "Our colleagues in the Republic of Korea are aware of the existence of Sinogene, and although they have not come to us yet, we plan to visit their country, as well as the United States, to establish contacts."
When asked whether Sinogene has competitors in the Chinese market and how strong competition is planned in the field of commercial cloning in the international arena, Wang Yining replied that so far there is more than enough room for maneuver in this niche.
"In addition to us, there is another company in China that carries out experiments with cells. They are also engaged in clones and are located in the neighboring city of Tianjin. This company carries out part of its operations abroad, besides they have a slightly different profile," Wang Yining explained. – As for South Korean clones, at the moment they are more expensive than ours. Therefore, so far our company has no real competitors in this niche."
The beginning of the era of commercial cloning
"In 2012, when the company was created, we did not think about cloning, but we changed our position in 2016, when pet owners started coming to us," recalls Sinogene's deputy CEO. – At first glance, it seems that cloning technologies are something special. However, in fact, they are becoming more and more widespread."
In the future, such procedures, as costs are reduced, can also be used in the needs of agriculture, for example, for the reproduction of cows or pigs. "So far, the majority of Chinese residents do not know what it is about," the interlocutor shrugs. – We usually receive orders according to the standard scenario: the owners of deceased pets want their pets to come back and stay with them longer. People are asking to "revive" them with the help of our technologies."
Sinogene created her first clone, a puppy named Longlong, in May 2017. Cloning requires advanced technologies, which, however, are quite accessible in the modern world. The main thing is to have the necessary scientific base and financial resources. All this is in China.
"If we use ordinary terms, a clone is just a twin of one or another individual. As for the viability or functional qualities of the organism, "animals created from a test tube" are absolutely no different from their natural counterparts," he emphasizes. – And when critical reviews arise among the public, frankly speaking, it is unclear to me how clones can harm modern society."
Up until now, the company has been cloning independently, without cooperation with other companies. At the same time, Sinogene, relying on its own technologies created in China, attracts recognized experts for consultations.
"Perhaps someone doubts the abilities and functional skills of cloned animals, but we believe that there can be no significant problems," said the Deputy Director General. "I think people who express dissatisfaction with the very fact of cloning will change their views after they talk to us – we will dispel their fears."
In order to reproduce a high-quality clone, knowledge and experience are required. "It's especially difficult to create dogs," laments Wang Yining. – Perhaps it is more difficult than all other cloned animals, because they have a rather long mating cycle, and the ovulation period is extremely difficult to identify. Therefore, in this case, the biggest difficulty is to get the cellular material of the uterus and turn it into the basis for creating a clone."
Panda is a cloned symbol of the nation
Big bamboo bears are the rarest animals. In nature, among the mountains of Sichuan province in the southwest of China, there are few of them left. Although experiments on breeding in the nursery of these mammals with a beautiful black-and-white or white-brown coat color bring some results, a decisive shift in the increase in their population could not be achieved before. The big panda is not only one of the symbols of China, its image can be seen on the emblem of the World Wildlife Fund. The wonders of genetics could help this species.
"As for cloning pandas, we recently held a press conference at the Beijing Zoo, which was attended by Chen Dayuan, the largest expert in China on theoretical issues concerning the possibility of cloning them using the uterus of other animal species," Wang Yining said. "He agreed to cooperate with us on a project to create bamboo bear clones."
The event was organized at the Beijing Zoo for a reason – it is the leading center in China for breeding, protection and care of rare animals. In August, a press conference was held there dedicated to the birth of the company's first cloned kitten, nicknamed Garlic. "Therefore, in the future we plan to cooperate with [the zoo]. However, I can't tell you exactly by what time we will create a cloned panda," the source admitted.
At the current stage, employees of the laboratory and other departments of the company are purposefully working to improve the efficiency of the process of creating dogs and cats. "We use the uterus of the corresponding animals to carry the cloned embryos. In other words, a dog gives birth to a cloned puppy, a cat gives birth to a clone kitten. However, pandas have an extremely low reproductive ability, so Chen Dayuan suggested artificially reproducing them with the help of other animals, for example, brown bears," Wang Yining explained.
Different types of animals differ significantly from each other in the physiology of reproduction. It will take time to artificially produce a healthy clone.
"There was a precedent in the past when it was possible to clone a wolf with the help of a dog. This means that pandas can be born completely different animals, – the expert is sure. – However, this is not an easy task, besides, we will need additional [research] materials to complete it. Of course, we need government permission to implement such a program. However, Chen Dayuan is constantly dealing with this issue, and if our cooperation continues in the future, he will help us establish a dialogue with the authorities, and we will begin to act."
About "test tube people"
Theoretically, with the help of the equipment available to Sinogene, it will be possible to reproduce a human clone into the light, says Wang Yining: "Our methods make it possible to create a human, but the laws of all countries of the world prohibit such experiments."
If the law allowed, it would be possible to clone someone from Chinese residents or foreign citizens. "Your copy will have to grow up first, besides, it will not have your memories," the interlocutor argues. – The clone has absolutely the same genes as you, although he will have different conditions for life and learning: we are dealing with a "twin" who will be decades younger than you."
In the future, technologies may appear that will allow the transfer of memory fragments from individual to individual. "Information has already appeared that human memory can be preserved, but so far these developments are far from practical application. In addition, there are several types of memory. After all, in addition to the skills that allow us to keep in mind the particles of the reality around us, there is also consciousness, the ability to be aware," he lists Wang Yining.
Technically, Sinogene can start cloning a person already at the current stage, but for ethical reasons this cannot be done. An employee of the Sinogene laboratory named Shen shared this thought in an interview with a TASS correspondent: "We would not dare to create your copy, since the state and legislation do not allow it. However, I believe that cloning technologies are already beginning to bring great benefits to humanity."
Cloning procedure
"We are ready to provide cloning services to animal owners from Russia, as we are entering the global market at the current stage," said Wang Yining. "Firstly, we need a sample, and we also need to work out the mechanism for sending the clone to the customer."
It would be ideal if the owners brought their pets to China to provide a DNA sample on their own. "However, I think such troubles are unnecessary: we just need to take a small piece of skin, which will not even bleed when separated," he reassures Wang Yining.
The collected sample is placed in a special solution and delivered to the Sinogene laboratory. After that, this piece of skin is placed in a special nutrient medium. "Over time, the growth of cells will be observed, from which we will choose the most benign and healthy ones," the interlocutor describes the process. – In parallel, the preparation of the uterine material is carried out, then comes the period of fertilization and the formation of the embryo."
After the right moment comes, the clone will be moved into the body of the animal that will bear it. "Our technologies are constantly being improved, experience is accumulating. Over time, as the cloning efficiency increases, we expect the price of our product to decrease. So far, the prices are high, because we have incurred quite large costs. The price for different types of animals is also different, because the specifics of growing a clone are different," warns Wang Yining.
It will be more difficult to clone a dog than a cat, so the cost will be different: to get a puppy, you will need 380 thousand yuan ($ 53.7 thousand), a kitten – 250 thousand yuan ($ 35.3 thousand). The cost of cloning practically does not differ depending on the breed.
"We are exploring the possibility of creating other animals, but this will require investments, time and money," adds the deputy CEO. – Moreover, humanity has a dream – to create an animal that had no analogues on Earth before. Relevant ideas have already been voiced in science fiction, but at the current stage they will be difficult to implement."
Gene editing for the benefit of humanity
Sinogene has been working on DNA modification for quite a long time in order to create healthy animals. "We are engaged in gene editing and for the first time applied this technology to our dog named Apple, who had cerebral atherosclerosis. Such developments are designed to make humanity happier," he believes Wang Yining.
In principle, knowing about the congenital pathologies of the clone, it is possible to eliminate them by timely intervention. "Recently, the public has been actively discussing this issue, many are against gene editing, so it is not possible to apply this technology to humans. If there are no [state] restrictions on the implementation of activities in this area, we intend to use this technology in the future," he reflects. – If living beings really have a soul, the clone will have a different one, different from his deceased predecessor. After all, this is just an absolute genetic copy, which will also inherit the propensities to diseases. However, knowing about their existence, these ailments can be prevented, not allowed to develop."
The company has already accumulated sufficient experience in the field of gene editing, and, in addition to atherosclerosis, considers it possible to treat autism with the same methods. "A dog has a lot in common with a human in terms of the digestive system and other functional features of the body. Further experiments will allow us to improve the appropriate methods, create a model for the cure of these ailments," Wang Yining believes. In this direction, his company already maintains contacts with some relevant organizations.
Tangible prospects
According to Wang Yining, Sinogene is constantly making efforts to ensure the qualitative development and scale of research activities: "I hope that in the future we will make even more significant progress. I think we will be able to reduce costs and provide even more affordable animal cloning services on the market."
It is desirable that a sample of the animal's skin be taken during its lifetime, since in this case the cells will be more resilient. "However, it can also be obtained after the pet's death: in the case of a cat, the sample must be stored for three days from the moment of its death," he explains. – If we manage to grow new cells at the initial stage, cloning technology will not pose any difficulties in the future. The sample can also be frozen and used at the right time."
"Sinogene strives to cover even more areas of practical application with its technologies. We try to benefit both people and their pets," he sums up Wang Yining.
At the end of August, Sinogene announced the start of the mass sale of cloned cats after successfully reproducing the first genetic copy of this animal, which was born in the second half of July. The company is already creating dogs and in the foreseeable future is going to engage in artificial reproduction of carrier pigeons, as well as horses.
According to official statistics, there are more than 73 million pet owners in China who own 91 million cats and dogs. In large metropolitan areas of China, where, due to a number of factors, many prefer to have a pet instead of having a child, the business of breeding clones turns out to be especially profitable. The market for cats and dogs in the country exceeds tens of billions of dollars. And it continues to grow dynamically from year to year.
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