Cumulina, the first cloned mouse
on her second birthday
Cumulina was born 03 October 1997, and died a natural death from old age (34 months) on 05 May 2000.
She produced two litters, and does not seem to have suffered any ill effects from her origin as a clone. At 23 months, Cumulina
developed a skin tumor of a type common in aging mice, which was successfully removed. She
was otherwise healthy. She remained active until the last few days before her
death, and died in her sleep. Her
name derives from the method of cloning used, in which cumulus cells
surrounding the developing ovum are injected intact into de-nucleated
ova. [The same method has been unsuccesful in humans].
According to University of Hawai'i researcher Dr. Ryuzo Yanagimachi, head of "Project Yana" that produced Cumulina,
"We celebrated her first and second birthdays, I didn't expect a third
birthday. She was special and was the only one given a name. The others have numbers."
Quoted material ©2000 Honolulu Star-Bulletin; commentary ©2004 da kine Steve