Ralph
SpeciesRattus
SexMale
Born2002 [1]
Jouy-en-Josas, France
Nation fromFrench

Ralph was the first cloned rat. He was created by a team of researchers at the National Institute for Agricultural Research in France, working with a biotech company, genOway. To give birth to Ralph, 129 embryos were implanted into two females, and one became pregnant and gave birth to three rats, with Ralph being the first to be born.[2] Rats are particularly difficult to clone, as early development in rodents is different from that in other mammals.[2] Rat eggs "activate" as soon as they leave the ovaries, making it difficult to introduce new genetic material. A chemical is needed to stabilize the embryo before cloning is possible.[2]

Ralph has been cloned for medical purposes requiring genetically identical animals including testing in impact of genetics and the environment in the development of many diseases, as well as to take away and modify genes,[3] as well as to solve a problem with rat physiology.[4] Cloned from an adult cell, Ralph was cloned by researchers from China and France.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Pilcher, Helen R. (26 September 2003). "First cloned rats born". Nature.com. doi:10.1038/news030922-16. Archived from the original on 9 October 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2012. Ten-month-old rodent Ralph
  2. 1 2 3 "BBC News | In pictures: Cloning hall of fame, Ralph the rat". news.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  3. ↑ Arnold, Paul (11 September 2009). "Ralph: The World's First Cloned Rat". Bright Hub. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  4. ↑ "Ralph, the fertile cloned rat unveiled". BioNews. 29 September 2003. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  5. ↑ "Rat called Ralph is latest clone". BBC. 25 September 2003. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
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