Japanese scientists use blood cells from 1 mouse to clone another

Scientists in Japan report they've used blood cells from the tail of a donor mouse to create a clone mouse. Researchers at the Riken BioResource Center reported their successful cloning effort in the journal Biology of Reproduction. While mice have been cloned from several different sources of donor cells -- including white blood cells found in the lymph nodes, bone marrow and liver. The Japanese researchers said they wanted to see if circulating blood cells could also be used for cloning. Their goal was to find an easily available source of donor cells to clone scientifically valuable strains of laboratory mice, the BBC reported Thursday. "These cells could be used for cloning immediately after collection and no donor animals need to be euthanized," the researchers wrote in the report of their study. The female mouse clone lived a normal lifespan and could give birth to young, they said.