Patent ID: 7951591

Claim:
A method for producing a pluripotent cell comprising: (a) obtaining a primate oocyte in metaphase II, which optionally may be genetically modified; (b) activating said oocyte by a method selected from the group consisting of (i) culturing the oocyte under conditions that do not result in second polar body extrusion; (ii) culturing the oocyte in the presence of an agent that inhibits polar body extrusion, and (iii) culturing the oocyte under conditions that prevent the initial cleavage of the activated oocyte; (c) culturing said activated oocyte to produce a gynogenetic embryo comprising a discernible trophectoderm and an inner cell mass; (d) isolating said inner cell mass or cells therefrom and transferring said inner cell mass or cells therefrom to an in vitro media that inhibits differentiation; and (e) culturing said inner cell mass or cells therefrom to maintain said cells in an undifferentiated pluripotent state.