Inside the UK’s first pet cloning clinic

A lab in the UK is offering pet owners the opportunity to use a dead pet’s DNA to create genetically identical clone. ITV News’ Health and Science Correspondent Martin Stew reports
Words by Helena Lambert, ITV News Health and Science ProducerThe joy of spending time with your favourite four legged friend for many is priceless, but Tom Rubython knows the exact cost.In 2014, Tom paid £80,000 to have his beloved cocker spaniel Daisy cloned by a South Korean lab.
His new pets, Mable and Myrtle, were born at Sooam Biotech in Seoul – the world’s biggest dog-cloning business – a practice which at the time wasn’t available in the UK.
“Daisy was the perfect dog, intelligent and perceptive,” he told ITV News. “She would always be by my side.”
Tom had to fly a scientist in from Seoul to collect Daisy’s DNA samples and begin the process. He sold his two classic Mercedes to raise the funds – and hid it all from his wife Beverly until the new dogs arrived.
“It’s a lot of money and it’s mad,” he admitted. “She didn’t believe it was possible.”
The now eight-year-old dogs are genetically identical to Daisy – though have slightly different personalities.
Tom says they’re “perfect” and he would do it all over again.
Gemini Genetics is now offering the same service in the UK.
They say there’s been a rise in demand from animal lovers who want to have their pets genetically replicated.
The Shropshire-based lab collects DNA samples from around 1,000 pets each year.
The initial process costs around £200. To go ahead with the full cloning the final bill is around £40,000 for a cat or dog, and more than £65,000 for a horse.
“Once your pet has passed away, you have five days in which you need to get the DNA preserved for cloning, ” explains Lucy Morgan, Laboratory Manager at Gemini Genetics.
‘So stage one in our laboratory is about preserving the DNA, so that it can be kept indefinitely for the owner.”
The DNA is then sent to their partner in the US, due to laws preventing the creation of ‘cloned’ embryos in the UK.
There, scientists take a donor egg cell – remove the nucleus which contains the DNA and then implant a cell from the pet that is to be cloned.
“Fibroblast cells contain the whole genetic makeup of the animal,” explains Lucy. “Each of these cells has a nucleus within them that we use for cloning the pet.”
An electrical impulse triggers the cell to become an embryo which is then implanted in a surrogate mother who eventually gives birth to your pet’s genetically identical twin.
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
“They’re going to be genetic twins, they’re going to have the exact DNA as the original, but environment can influence every living thing whether that be plant, human or animal.
“For a full similarity we need to provide a very similar environment.”
Whist Lucy acknowledges the practice is seen as controversial, she argues there are a range of opinions when it comes to medical technology.
“In the human sphere people use IVF to conceive a baby and this [cloning] is really just another form of assisted reproduction.”
The RSPCA warns that cloning will never provide an exact replica, and also and warn of “serious ethical and welfare” concerns.
“Cloning animals requires procedures that cause pain and distress, with high failure and mortality rates; and animals frequently suffer physical ailments such as tumours, pneumonia and abnormal growth patterns.
“We would recommend anyone looking for a new pet to become part of their family to adopt one of the thousands of animals in rescue centres looking for their forever home.”
Have you heard The Trapped? Listen as Daniel Hewitt exposes the UK’s dirty secret