A US company that clones cats and dogs has a ‘huge waiting list’ after a spike in interest during Covid.
ViaGen has been “extremely successful” in cloning cats and dogs since 2015, said Lauren Aston, who works in the company’s marketing department.
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Currently, it costs $35,000 to clone a cat and $50,000 to clone a dog.
“Your veteran does a skin biopsy, which is a non-invasive procedure like removing a mole, and sends the sample to our lab in Cedar Park, Texas, where we culture the cell and freeze it,” Aston told The Sun.
The best time to get the DNA sample is during a routine procedure like spaying, spaying or dental cleaning, she said, but the process can be done within five days of death. of the animal.
The frozen DNA sample is stored in the ViaGen Pets cryostorage facility for processing and preservation.
THE BOOMING CLONING MARKET
ReportMines, which recently published a sample report analyzing the animal cloning market, said the pandemic jump kicked off the market.
By 2028, it is expected to be worth several million, according to the ReportMines report.
To get an exact number, ReportMines requires the purchase of its full report and declined to be interviewed.
THE PROCESS EXPLAINED
When the owner is ready to clone the animal, the ViaGen technician replaces the nucleus of a donor egg with one of the founder’s frozen cells and uses the patented treatment to produce an embryo, she said.
The embryo is implanted into a surrogate mother, who gives birth like a typical cat or dog, and then given to the new owner after being weaned from the mother.
“You’re going to have a 100% genetic twin,” Aston said.
But external factors – such as diet, number of pets in the house, children, among others – can change the personality of the animal.
“There are so many things that go into personality. It’s nature and nurture,” Aston said. “Parents have multiple children, and the second and third child are different from the first. It’s no different with pets.
Kelly Anderson, who cloned her cat, said in a previous interview that Chai and her cloned cat Belle are “completely different.”
“They have basic personalities that are kind of similar. Like they’re very bold and sassy cats, but that could be the breed,” Anderson said. “But Belle is a brand new cat.”
RESPONDING TO CONTROVERSIES ON CLONING
Pet cloning is relatively new and very controversial.
Opponents oppose cloning and say they are adopting a pet from a shelter. Other opponents liken cloning to a high-tech puppy mill.
There is no regulated number of times a substitute can be used, but Aston said ViaGen internally limits the number of times a substitute can be used to two.
“This is a niche market. It won’t be for the masses, for ethical or financial reasons,” Aston said.
“What’s different is that each dog, cat and horse has been specifically requested. Each client has a unique reason and a unique story.”
THE FUTURE OF ANIMAL CLONING
Animal cloning technology has advanced since the cloning of the sheep Dolly in 1996.
As technology improves, prices will eventually come down, Aston said.
“It’s not going to happen. It’s in five years, 10 years later,” she said. “But it’s really about the evolution of technology, as with all things like the iPhone.
“I would say the future is cloning for conservation efforts.”
ViaGen is working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Revive & Restore to successfully clone a black-footed ferret, an endangered species with only about 300 left in the wild.
The animal cloning leader is also working with the San Diego Zoo to clone Przewalski’s horse, an endangered species with around 1,900 in the wild and in captivity.
“This is where we will see our exciting new ventures,” Aston said. “Zoos froze genetic zoos. They were cutting edge that way. But now the technology exists to clone and save a species.”
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