Project BriefOpen Competition - Biotechnology (October 2000)Avian Nuclear Transfer SystemDevelop novel techniques for nuclear transfer and cloning of birds -- chickens in particular -- to enable enhanced poultry breeding programs, as a tool for improving or modifying the poultry genome, and potentially to regenerate endangered avian species. Sponsor: AviGenics, Inc.Animal and Dairy Science Complex425 River Road Athens, GA 30602
Cloning techniques -- the transfer of a nucleus containing genetic material from one cell in to another cell, or egg -- have been applied successfully to produce transgenic mammals, such as sheep and cows. Nuclear transfer and cloning have not been possible in birds to date because of difficulties in accessing, visualizing, and manipulating the optically opaque avian egg. AviGenics, inc., plans to develop technology to create the world's first cloned bird as a means of enhancing poultry breeding schemes and generating clones with elite traits, including disease resistance, feed conversion efficiency, and increased weight. In a three-year project, the company will use novel, proprietary technologies to visualize the pronuclear structure and to remove the nucleus. A micromanipulation system is used under a microscope to inject a nuclear donor (cultured cells from high-performance birds) to reconstruct the egg, which is then incubated until the cloned bird hatches. Protocols must be developed for each step of the process. The risk is high because, even with the innovative approach, visualization of nuclear structure in an early-stage egg will be challenging, and it is not certain how the technology will affect hatching. ATP support is needed because even though cloning is of growing interest to the poultry industry, the development costs are too high for any one breeder. If successfully developed, the new technology will generate billions of dollars in the U.S. economy; for instance, a possible 0.3-pound increase in average weight for the 8 billion U.S.-produced broilers would, at 40 cents per pound, be equal to about $1 billion annually. In addition, transgenic chickens and their eggs would offer faster and lower-cost alternatives to mammals for the production of biopharmaceuticals. The technology could also be used to preserve pedigree lines and regenerate endangered species.
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