The world's first "test-tube" puppies are finally born after several years of attempt. Seven half pound puppies were born to a surrogate mother.
As reported in New York Daily News, the seven little mutts are the first dogs conceived using in vitro fertilization (IVF) or what is commonly known as a test tube process.
"We each took a puppy and rubbed it with a little towel and when it started to squiggle and cry, we knew we had success," said Dr. Alexander Travis, who runs the lab at the Baker Institute for Animal Health at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York.
They were from the same litter but have three sets of parents. They are a mix of beagle, Labrador and cock spaniel. They were secretly born on July 10. Their existence was cloaked in secrecy until the findings were formally announced to the scientific world this week.
The study was published in the journal PLoS One and was described as a major advancement in medicine.
The puppies are now five-months-old and all but one have gone to a new home. One female puppy was kept by the lab to have her won puppies later on. There have been reportedly named Ivy, Cannon, Beaker, Buddy, Nelly, Red and Green BBC reports.
Since the mid-1970s, people have been trying IVF to dogs. In vitro fertilization is the process of fertilizing an egg with sperm outside the body. This process is widely used to assist human reproduction. The first human birth from IVF reportedly took place in 1978.
In the dog's case, frozen embryos were implanted in a female dog using similar techniques in human IVG. However, freezing embryos is one of the hurdles they encountered in the past. After more than 30 years, the group says they have perfected the technique.
"Now we can use this technique to conserve the genetics of endangered species."
This breakthrough is important in the preservation of endangered species. This could also be used in the study of inherited human and dog diseases as both species share many similar diseases.
