Return to top of page Scientific programme Roslin Bio-Med's main scientific objective in the first three years is to achieve gene targeting in both sheep and pigs. The challenge of producing piglets routinely by nuclear transfer is substantial. Almost all of the research on nuclear transfer in livestock has been done on cattle and sheep. Roslin Bio-Med is currently developing superovulation protocols which will allow recovery of large numbers of high quality oocytes and identifying the conditions for successful in vitro incubation of early pig embryos. Pigs can only maintain a pregnancy when there are more than 3 or 4 foetuses and Roslin Bio-Med is developing methods which will ensure this minimum number is routinely achieved.
Foetal fibroblasts are the preferred cell type for nuclear transfer in pigs and sheep.
However, it is not yet known how amenable they will be to gene targeting and Roslin Bio-Med is therefore developing a range of methods to ensure that targeting can be efficiently achieved. The Roslin Institute and 3i both hold substantial minority equity shares in Roslin Bio-Med , with the remainder available for employees' share options. Simon Best and Scientific Director is Professor Ian Wilmut. Dr. John Brown of Peptide Therapeutics and Professor Grahame Bulfield are non-executive directors and Professor John Clark of the Roslin Institute and Andrew Davison of 3i act as observers on behalf of the two major shareholders. Simon Best graduated in 1977 with a degree in music and started his management career in the pop music business.