By NNN-IRNA
Scientists of Iran’s Royan Research Center have successfully produced a mouse using embryonic stem cells.
Director of the center’s stem cells group, Hossein Baharvand, said that in the next phase, the experts are expected to produce mice with specific characteristics by genetically changing the mouse embryonic stem cells.
“The mechanism could be used in studying the performance of a specific gene in a living body,” Baharvand said.
According to him, the mouse was produced from embryonic stem cells taken from a black mouse that were later injected into the blastosists of a white mouse. The resulted embryos were then transferred to the womb of another mouse and finally a chimera mouse was born.
Established in 1991, Royan initially started its work as a center for limited surgeries, but in 1998, it was developed into a center for stem cell researches. Today it comprises six different research groups including infertility infertility, epidemiology as well as stem cell research.
In 2006, the Institute had successfully produced Iran’s first cloned lamb, dubbed Royana. Iran is the 10th country to produce, culture and freeze stem cells.