Cloning and Stem Cell Research in Wildlife Reproduction
Institutions: College of Vetrenary Medicine, Cornell University, New York, USA
Dr Wan Nor Fitri bin Wan Jaafar is a senior lecturer at Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UPM. Wan Nor Fitri’s proposed area of study is in stem cell research, with application to wildlife reproduction.
The diminishing population of deers in Malaysia was highlighted through the role of prey to the majestic Malayan Tiger that is now threatened to extinction. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is a wide discipline of applicable techniques which may improve the outcome of fecundity in an individual.
If we had the required skills and facilities for the Bornean Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harissoni), ART could have been used to explore the species earlier. With ART, Malaysia will be able to carry out somatic cell nuclear transfer in the Bornean Rhino, using the deposited cryopreserved tissue samples from the deceased three Bornean Rhinos. The ART technique enables a quick-win to display the effort and focus of the Malaysian government in commitment to wildlife conservation.