Robotic cloning

The Chinese robot for the first time completely carried out the process of cloning pigs

Alexandra Medvedeva, Naked Science

Scientists from Nankai University (China) for the first time cloned pigs using a robot. A female who underwent the fertilization process, in each stage of which a robot participated, gave birth to seven healthy Landrace piglets on March 31, 2022. Each phase of the process was automated, no human was involved in any operation. According to scientists, the involvement of robots increases the success of cloning, because their actions are more accurate and less likely to damage cells.

Today, China is the largest consumer of pork in the world, but Beijing is striving to become more independent from the import of this product, especially due to numerous sanctions by the United States and other countries. In addition, Chinese pig breeds are rapidly degenerating.

Cloning could be an effective solution to the problem. The most common cloning method is called "somatic cell nucleus transplantation". It uses an egg and a somatic cell of the cloned animal. After that, scientists remove the nucleus from the egg and replace it with the nucleus of a somatic cell. The procedure involves many complex and time-consuming stages, requires the participation of qualified personnel and cannot become more extensive. In 2017, researchers bred the world's first piglets cloned using a robot, but then people still took part in some stages.

Now we have managed to achieve full automation of the process. The robot has microscopic vision, and with the help of artificial intelligence calculates the deformation of cells in order to apply minimal force and not damage the oocyte during surgery. This increases the accuracy of cloning and the speed of embryonic development.

The use of automated cloning technology increased the success rate of the operation from 10% to 27.5%. The first piglets obtained as a result of cloning are suitable for breeding. Any company or research institution will be able to purchase an automated system in the future.

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