Australia - Breakthrough in dairy cow stem cell research: Dairy CRC
Published:February 17, 2006
Source :Dairy Cooperative Research Centre
Scientists have discovered new methods to isolate and maintain large numbers of bovine embryonic stem cells, with major implications for advanced breeding technologies in dairy cattle.
Dairy Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) scientists have made the discovery, that should apply to other livestock, as well as to dairy cattle.
At the Dairy Science 2006 conference in Mt Gambier, SA, Dr Paul Verma, from the Monash Institute of Medical Research, said stem cells are cells that have not yet become a specific type such as an eye, brain or liver cell.
Embryonic stem cells can potentially produce every other type of cell, so a range of applications will be possible.
In the future, it will be possible to test stem cells to determine if they carry the genes likely to produce elite animals.
These could then potentially be used to generate sperm cells for use in the IVF process.
For the dairy industry, that would help shorten the generation interval or breeding cycle.
It would substantially speed up the process of genetic improvement in the Australian dairy herd.
Stem cells could also be used to improve udder health and lactation performance in dairy cows, as they play a role in tissue development.
They may also be used to improve animal health through the treatment of disease or delivery of vaccines to the animal.
"The crucial breakthrough by the team was to generate more than 200,000 stem cells from a single embryo, whereas conventional methods produce less than 10,000 cells per embryo," Dr Verma told the conference.
Previous stem cell lines had been created for the human, the mouse and the primate, but not the cow.
