Scientists led by Atsuo Ogura at the RIKEN BioResource Center in Tsukuba, Japan, have succeeded in cloning mice from white blood cells taken from a drop of blood. They drew blood from the tail of a donor mouse and used circulating white blood cells to create clones, which had a normal lifespan. Through this, they demonstrated that circulating blood cells can, in addition to a number of other cell types, be used to create viable cloned offspring.
The technique shows that it is possible to prepare cells for cloning in a relatively noninvasive way, making it easier to create clones of infertile or "last-of-line" animals.
The research was reported in the journal Biology of Reproduction, DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.113.110098