First cloned sheep born in America

DeFOREST, Wis. – “Pickles,” the first lamb to be cloned in North America, was born July 22, according to Infigen, the only organization in North America to have successfully cloned three species of farm animals.

The company previously announced clones of dairy and beef cattle as well as domestic pigs.

Infigen is a privately held biotech company combining genomics and reproductive technologies to advance human health.

Infigen used newly developed proprietary procedures to produce five embryos from 25 enucleated eggs. These embryos were transferred into two recipient ewes, resulting in the birth of “Pickles” following a normal gestation period. The adult cell was produced using cells taken from a 10-year-old adult ewe.

There were no complications during the birth. The lamb was cloned is part of the company’s commercial program involving the production of proteins for possible use as human health products.