The five female pigs were cloned from an adult sow named Destiny using a slightly different technique than the one that produced Dolly . Independent tests of the DNA of the piglets confirmed they were clones of the sow, the company said. The identical baby pigs playfully wrestled and nibbled on each other's ears inside a wooden pen at the news conference. Their mother, however, was not present. PPL touted the clones as a major step toward achieving its xenograft objectives, which would create genetically altered pigs whose organs and cells could be successfully transplanted in humans.
Pigs are physiologically one of the closest animals to humans.
However, the next step is to see if the technology can be applied to developing genetically-modified animals whose organs can be transplanted into humans without being rejected. However, the idea of using animal organs for transplant, known as xenotransplantation , is controversial because some persons believe viral illnesses could cross from pigs to humans. The gene triggers an immune response in the human body, prompting it to rapidly reject the organ. Other uses include cellular therapies , such as transplantable cells that produce insulin for the treatment of diabetes. The only connection the births have to the veterinary school at Virginia Tech is that the university provided the clinical services for the delivery.