WORCESTER, Mass-Officials from Advanced Cell Technology have announced successful cloning of a bovine kidney, created from the combination of a single skin cell and an egg.
While the details of the kidney's creation are being kept secret, company officials did report a functioning kidney was produced and transplanted into a cow. The organ removed toxins and produced urine, but there were no details on whether it functioned completely like a biological kidney.
Such research for humans has been limited and controversial because embryos were destroyed in the experiment. Scientists fused a single skin cell with a cow's egg whose genetic material had been removed. The embryo was then technically the clone of the starter cow.
Company officials say the details of the experiment will be released in a medical journal.
Information from www.msnbc.com