New zebra fish cloning method is created

EAST LANSING, Mich., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Michigan State University researchers say they have created an improved zebra fish cloning method in a study that might further human health research.

A team of scientists say their new and more efficient way of cloning zebra fish is important because zebra fish are becoming the animal of choice for many researchers.

"After the mouse, it is the most commonly used vertebrate in genetic studies," said Professor Jose Cibelli, who led the study. "It is used in cancer research and cardiovascular research because they have many of the same genes we have."

Previous methods of cloning zebra fish have had very low success rates, but the scientists said with their new method, the number of cloned fish that can be obtained from an adult fin cell or an embryonic tail clip increased by 2 percent for fin cells and to 13 percent for tail clip cells.

The study was reported in a recent issue of the journal Nature Methods.