ABSTRACT
The ovine species deserves indeed a place of honor in nuclear transplantation research. Lambs were the first large animals produced by nuclear transfer of embryonic cells into enucleated oocytes [1]. Approximately 10 years later, the same experimental procedure led to the production of the first lamb cloned from an adult somatic cell [2]. Two waves of interest followed from these major scientific breakthroughs. The first successful embryonic cloning in a farm animal species was met with favor among reproductive physiologists, and several private companies were set up to exploit embryo cloning for the multiplication of elite genotypes commercially [3]. However, low success rates rapidly revealed the empiricism of the
technology, indicating that the passage from the bench to the farm had occurred too quickly.
