Cell Bank

From a skin biopsy collected from the tail fold or ear, a cell bank is created for the animal(s) of interest. The collected tissue is sent to the laboratory by road or air transport. In the laboratory, the tissue is sanitized and cut into small fragments, which are then cultured for approximately 14 days.

Throughout the culture period, a large number of cells (fibroblasts) detach from the tissue fragments and multiply. Millions of cells are stored in liquid nitrogen. At this point, the Cell Bank is established. Storage time is unlimited.

The Cell Bank can be considered a kind of life insurance, as the Animal Cloning process can be initiated at any time using the previously stored cells. Young or old animals, healthy or diseased, alive or deceased, can be cloned once the Cell Bank has been established.