Born from 'handmade cloning' process, Eve shows future for beef industry
Published on 20 February, 2013
The first calf has been born from a ‘handmade cloning' process which is potentially the first viable cloning method for large-scale improvement of the beef industry...
A simple dissecting microscope and micro blade were used to dissect and reconstruct the embryo to effect 'somatic cell nuclear transfer'.
Professor Gábor Vajta gets to know his latest hand-made cloning creation, known as Eve
The resultant calf was born at Oaklands Stud, Kalapa, during the massive floods at the end of January but is now coping well.
CQUniversity researcher Professor Gábor Vajta established the handmade cloning technology and did the cloning work that led to the birth of Eve in collaboration with the Australian Reproductive Technologies (ART) facility at Mt Chalmers, near Rockhampton.
Professor Vajta and ART Managing Director Simon Walton joined Oaklands Stud owners Nev and Megan Hansen recently to check Eve's progress at the age of 16 days.
Although Eve technically does not have a mother or father in the traditional sense, her donor cow, birth surrogate cow and wet nurse cow were all nearby at Oaklands.
L-R Megan and Nev Hansen, Professor Vajta and Simon Walton with the valuable donor cow
Professor Vajta says Eve is 99.6% genetically identical to the donor cow, which was (at the time) the most expensive Brangus cow sold in Australia, for $20,000.
"Hand-made cloning requires fewer instruments and less investment than traditional cloning. Work with HMC is faster, easier, and the efficiency higher," he says.
ART Managing Director Simon Walton says the overall goal is to find the best way to commercialise cloning for the benefit of the cattle industry.
"The new technique will continue at an experimental level for a while but longer-term the goal is a viable commercial, industrial application."
This cloning success adds momentum to results in the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) ratings announced by the Australian Research Council (ARC) at the end of 2012. CQUniversity was judged to have performed at 'well above world standard' in Agriculture and Land Management.
The donor cow and cloned calf pictured in a parallel stance 
The donor cow 
Prof Vajta starts the process in the laboratory 
Nev Hansen with cloned calf Eve 
Prof Vajta with the donor cow 
Laboratory work close up