Gordon Woods, Mule Cloning Researcher, Has Died

One of the most ironically but fitting aspects of the advent of equine cloning in the United States is that the pioneer clones were not graceful show horses or robust athletes but champion racing mules from the Northwest who received genes not just for racing but for personality of their species.

Pioneering scientists who wanted to be taken seriously were always a bit in danger of being upstaged by their product.

One of those pioneers died this week. Dr Gordon Woods led the team at the University of Idaho that produced the world’s first equine clone – a perfect mule foal named Idaho Gem – on May 4, 2003. Idaho Gem’s brothers – Utah Pioneer and Idaho Star – were born later that year. The accomplishment thrust the team’s research onto the international stage.

As scientifically and commercially significant as the cloning was to the horse industry, Dr. Woods was most excited about further exploring the connection between the cellular biology that led to the clone success and the cellular activity associated with age-onset diseases in humans such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease. After the cloning project, he continued to use the horse as a model for better understanding human health, and moved on to Colorado State University, where he was working at the time of his death.

Dr Woods earned his doctor of veterinary medicine degree at Colorado State University in 1975 and completed his residency in large animal reproduction at the University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton Center. He then enrolled at the University of Wisconsin where he worked with Dr. O.J. Ginther and earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in reproductive biology. He joined the faculty of the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in 1983 as an assistant professor.

He returned to Idaho in 1986, founding the Northwest Equine Reproduction Laboratory and teaching at Washington State University and later at the University of Idaho where he served as a professor in the Department of Animal and Veterinary Science. In 2007, he moved his program to Colorado State.

He founded a private company, CancEr2, to explore basic research on the physiological bases of cancer and also served as president of EquinE2, a company created to commercialize horse reproduction technology and was a principal in another company, ClonE2, which was formed to offer horse cloning services commercially.

Donations in Dr Woods' memory may be sent to a fund at "Colorado 4-H Foundation/OMK," Colorado State University Extension, 4040 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins CO 80523-4040.

Thanks to Colorado State University for their help with this news. I remember when all three of the cloned mules were going to run in the same race. I'm very sorry to hear that we've lost Dr. Woods, after having written so many articles about his work and the mules. He truly was a pioneer.

Clones Will Be Left at the Gate in Oklahoma if Governor Signs Legislation

by Fran Jurga | 9 April 2009 | The Jurga Report

Thanks to our friends at the Quarter Horse Racing Journal and American Quarter Horse Association for the "ears up" about horse-related legislation in Oklahoma that is headed for the Governor's office to be signed.

No, it's not equine dentists this time: The AQHA announced yesterday that Oklahoma has banned clones and (if I am reading this article correctly) their offspring from racing in the state.

Click here to read the Racing Journal's article.

An article in the Oklahoman newspaper has some quotes but some of the points aren't quite clear, since it is unlikely that clones themselves would be racing anyway.

It seems to me that the whole point of commercial cloning (vs sentimental cloning of a pet) is for breeding. Legislation like this would take a lot of wind out of cloning's sails. And sales. It's interesting that the clones would be banned from racing but not showing or commercial breeding or sales.

The story gets even murkier when you get down to realizing that if the AQHA doesn't even register clones, this is a "just in case" piece of legislation--in effect, closing the barn door before the clone gets out.

Will clones have a big C branded into their foreheads for all to see? They look just like other horses, after all, and their offspring will too. And a clone's DNA test will not look like something from a mountaintop in Transylvania.

The cloning story continues to write itself, right in front of our eyes. I urge you all to read more about this fascinating subject. Sooner or later, no matter where you live or no matter what breed of horse you may show or race or breed or own, or what equestrian sport discipline you choose, you'll be hearing about cloning.

This subject has rekindled my interest in equine reproduction, which had been eclipsed by my total obsession with lameness for many years. When the first clone goes lame, it will be my story.

Click here for a one-stop archive of recent articles here on the Jurga Report about the AQHA's struggle with finding a reasonable resolution to this issue.

And stay tuned, both to this blog and AQHA sources for more cloning news as it happens.

No-Clone Zone: AQHA Postpones Cloning Decision (Again)

by Fran Jurga | 9 March 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

Clones are knocking on the door of the American Quarter Horse Association, seeking legitimate places in the largest breed registry in the world. "Go away! Come back next year!" came the cry from within at yesterday's AQHA committee meeting. (Fran Jurga/Puppet Tool software image)

Yesterday was billed as the Day of Decision at the annual convention of the American Quarter Horse Association in San Antonio, Texas. The issue: the AQHA's Stud Book and Registration Committee was scheduled to vote on the inclusion of clones (genetic replicas via engineered reproduction and DNA replacement) in the definition of an American Quarter Horse, opening the door for clones to be eligible for registration.

First reports from the San Antonio meeting indicate that a motion to postpone the decision for another year was passed by the committee. However, I believe the committee's recommendation needs the official stamp of the larger organization, as well as the appointment of a task force to further study the implications of registering clones, leading up to another airing at the 2010 AQHA Convention.

This story is not dead. Just like the late great Quarter horses who have been cloned, the story keeps having new life breathed into it. Over the past 10 years, the AQHA has progressed (or regressed, according to your political view) to allow frozen and fresh artificial insemination...then survived a lawsuit that opened the door to allow embryo transfer...and finally winds up with genetic clones on the doorstep of the registry office.

Clones may be the ultimate and most expensive "unwanted horses" in the universe, at least temporarily, when it comes to registration-paper legitimacy. That will surely change, even as multiple clones of champion cutting horse Smart Little Lena grow up in their "equus non grata" state of limbo. Other clones are replicas of favorite horses engineered for a fee for individual owners.

Clones are technically allowed to compete in cutting and reining, but the whole point of cloning Smart Little Lena or the mare Royal Blue Boon is not to compete, but to breed. And breed. And breed, thus infusing the breed with the bloodlines of champions who would otherwise have limited offspring. The number of foals sired by Smart Little Lena could be infinite in the future....as could be the number of exact genetic replicas of Smart Little Lena himself standing at stud all over the world!

Cloning is wonderful technology and yesterday's decision gives one hope that when the AQHA allows clones to join the registry--which surely seems inevitable--it will do it with a plan that is responsible and fair.

The much bigger story here is that once the AQHA allows cloning, other breed registries will surely follow suit. The framework and perhaps welfare of our entire horse world depends on the AQHA to lead the way, if it decides to, in a way that will encourage other breeds to be responsible in their policies and ensure the safety and welfare of horses and the viability of breeds and breeding.

You know what the critics are asking: Are we ready for offshore breeding laboratories, unauthorized DNA capture, and lawsuits over the implications of mitochondrial DNA? Are we entering the age of Dr. Frankenhorse or a new era of genetic analysis and engineering that may be able to better all breeds?

Something I've been wondering: Couldn't the cloned AQHA halter horses be manipulated so they have feet of proportionate size to their bodies?

If I was to give advice to the AQHA, I'd suggest that for every dollar a clone costs, an equal amount be put into research to predict, analyze and remove threats of genetic disorders from the breed. The same energy that figured out how to select a coat color for a clone could certainly go a long way on the health front. HYPP and HERDA may be only the tip of an iceberg, and those who want to register and breed clones should be responsible for any headaches and heartaches their engineered horses introduce to the bloodlines of the horses the rest of us just want to own and ride.

Stay tuned for more news!

Update: After this post was published, a press release from AQHA confirmed that the vote had been postponed to the 2010 convention and that a task force had been formed to continue to investigate how cloning might impact the breed, and vice versa. Click here to read the official announcement from the AQHA.

Bi-Partisan Caucus for Animal Protection Formed in US Congress While Western States Move Toward Autonomous Horse Slaughter Regulations

By Fran Jurga | 19 February 2009 | The Jurga Report

Has the nationwide obsession with the economy (Just how poor am I? I dunno...how poor are you?) pushed some other close-to-the-heart issues to the back burner?

A press release published today in Washington informs us that US Representatives Jim Moran (D-VA) and Elton Gallegly (R-CA) will co-chair the newly formed “Congressional Animal Protection Caucus (CAPC),” a bipartisan organization committed to raising awareness of animal welfare issues in Congress. CAPC replaces the Friends of Animals Caucus that existed in previous Congresses.

The press release says that, through non-partisan forums and briefings, CAPC will seek to highlight important issues affecting animals and upcoming animal welfare legislation. CAPC will also track the progress of relevant legislation, provide members of Congress with dependable information, and attempt to build broad coalitions in support of common-sense, humane animal welfare laws.

In the 110th Congress, the old caucus was instrumental in the passing tougher animal fighting legislation, and tightening animal welfare regulations in the 2008 Farm Bill. Priorities for the 111th Congress include beefing up legislation banning the slaughter of horses.

Meanwhile, west of the Beltway, some states--make that quite a few states--are initiating states-rights or "home rule" resolutions that could possibly lead to legalized horse slaughter in certain states. Whether the slaughter they would like to usher in is for meat export purposes is not clear; much of the legislation in Washington has been specific to slaughtering horses for meat, so rendering-type slaughterhouses might find some loopholes.

Another loophole that may be open is "on the hook" export of horse carcasses, as is done in England, where export of horse meat, per se, was stopped by law.

According to an article in Monday's Salt Lake Tribune, Utah is leading the pack of the "horse slaughter resolve" states, while action is already in process in the states of Arizona, Kansas, Minnesota, Wyoming, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Montana.

Utah's HJR7 voices the state's approval of the export of horses for slaughter and has passed the House and Senate; the nonbinding position statement will be sent to the White House, the U.S. Senate and House and Utah's congressional delegation.

Blogger's note: To refresh your memory, President Obama was one of the sponsors of anti-horse slaughter legislation in the Senate that led to the closing of foreign-owned US horse meat processing plants. And the recently impeached governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, was hailed as a hero when he signed the order to close the DeKalb slaughter complex in that state in 2007. Blagojevich's role in anti-horse slaughter legislation was generally overlooked in the controversy over his impeachment.

Now that Obama and Blagojevich have moved on (or up, or out, as the case may be), slaughter advcates are obviously losing no time reversing things in that state.

An upcoming vote by the American Quarter Horse Association on March 9 adds to the slaughter story: slaughterhouse by-products include uteruses from slaughtered mares that required for cloning cultures. A plentiful supply of viable uteruses is critical to the cloning industry and adds to the complexity of both the horse slaughter and cloning debates, much as does the medical use of human stem cells from warehoused embryos in the abortion debate.

If I had a crystal ball, I think I would be able to see the stately columns of the US Supreme Court shining in its depths when I ask it where the horse slaughter debate is headed.

Send in the Clones: Forum on American Quarter Horse Clone Registration Rule Change Will Be Available via Webcast

One of the biggest changes in the history of American horse breeding has been set in motion, but you don't have to travel to San Antonio, Texas on March 6 to be part of it.

American Quarter Horse Association members who can’t make it to the equine cloning forum at the 2009 AQHA Annual Convention will be able to watch the event online in the members section of www.aqha.com. The forum Webcast will begin at 2 p.m. March 6.

You must be an AQHA member and have a Personal Identification Number to log in at the site and access the Webcast.

Under Rule 227(a) of the AQHA official handbook, a rule that became effective in 2004, American Quarter Horses produced by any cloning process are not eligible for registration. Clones are currently not being bred for performance use, but rather for breeding, so the offspring of a clone would not be able to registered.

All that may change in March.

The AQHA Stud Book and Registration Committee (SBRC) first considered a proposed change to Rule 227(a) at the 2008 AQHA Convention. That proposed change would allow a live foal produced via a particular type of cloning to be registered if its DNA matches that of a registered American Quarter Horse. Voting on that rule change was postponed to 2009 while more information was gathered.

The proposed change to Rule 227(a) will again be on the SBRC agenda at the 2009 AQHA Convention but only after a public forum where members will be able to learn more about cloning and to express their opinions. This forum is open to all interested AQHA members.

Confirmed forum panelists include Katrin Hinrichs, a veterinarian involved in equine cloning at Texas A&M University; Sharon Spier, an epidemiologist at the University of California-Davis; George Seidel, a professor specializing in biomedical sciences at Colorado State University; and Blake Russell of ViaGen, a commercial cloning lab.

Following the forum, AQHA members watching the webcast will have the opportunity to leave online comments on the information presented. Comments will be limited to 100 words and need to be related to the topics presented during the forum.

For more information on cloning, see the February issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal, the March issue of The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal and the March-April issue of America’s Horse.

Blogger's Note: My copy of the Journal came in the mail today and contained an eight-page article called "Pure Genetics", which covers many aspects of the cloning issue.

In 2008, the National Cutting Horse Association passed a rule allowing clones to compete. Champion cutting horse Smart Little Lena was cloned five times in 2006 by Texas A&M University, according to the AQHA article. Offspring sired by any of the five would currently not be eligible for registration with the AQHA, but would be able to compete in NCHA events. Might clones become part of a distinct new breed association?

After the AQHA convention in March, they might be welcome in the AQHA for the first time. Other breed associations would then need to decide whether to follow the AQHA's lead; currenty no breed associations register clones.

Five Million More Quarter Horses? AQHA Will Host Open Forum on Cloning Option

by Fran Jurga | 13 January 2009 | The Jurga Report on equisearch.com

Did you receive that nice triangle-shaped green brochure in the mail recently? I did, and I expect most or all AQHA members did. It was from a company called ViaGen and I wondered how I had gotten on their mailing list. Today, I found out.

The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) is planning to host an open forum on the subject of cloning at the group's annual convention next month in San Antonio, Texas. The forum is scheduled for Friday, March 6, 2009 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

According to the AQHA's announcement, this forum's panel will include representatives from equine industry and educational research institutions.

Whether they are watching from the audience, or participate directly in the forum, representatives of ViaGen have a lot riding on that forum. Since the closing of slaughterhouses, ViaGen had to move its lab to Canada to be close to slaughterable mares to harvest uterus parts, but they know that a nod from the AQHA to allow clones of the world's Quarter horses to be registered would be the answer to the company's prayers. It would be the first breed association to take that giant step. Add that the AQHA is the largest and most influential breed association in the world, and you see all that could be at stake here for ViaGen and the next generation of the ready-to-blossom equine reproduction technology field.

Within the past couple of years, commercial cloning of a number of horses, including American Quarter Horses, has been well publicized. Racing mules have been cloned, but most of the clones you hear about are high-end international-level show jumpers, like Gem Twist. The western horses have been primarily cutting horses or rodeo event horses, so the fact that the horses were not AQHA-registered was not a significant factor; cutting and barrel racing organizations allow any horse to compete.

Under Rule 227(a) of the AQHA Official Handbook, a rule that became effective in 2004, American Quarter Horses produced by any cloning process are not eligible for registration.

At the AQHA’s 2008 Convention, the Stud Book and Registration Committee (SBRC) received the first-ever proposed change to Rule 227(a); it was tabled then and has been brought back for 2009; the change would allow a live foal produced via a particular type of cloning to be registered if its DNA matches that of a registered American Quarter Horse.

Currently, the AQHA is not naming which particular procedure would be approved, but after seeing all the ViaGen ads cropping up on internet sites lately, it's not a tough guess.

In 2008, the SBRC recommended that any decision regarding the proposed change be postponed pending further study to be undertaken at the direction of the SBRC. As a result, on October 15, 2008, representatives from Colorado State University, Texas A&M University and ViaGen met with the SBRC in Amarillo to discuss the topic of cloning.

The proposed change to Rule 227(a) will be on the SBRC agenda in March in San Antonio. In an effort to make the most recent information on equine cloning available to AQHA members, AQHA has scheduled the open forum. The AQHA anticipates the forum will include presentations by panel of speakers from the equine industry and educational research institutions.

This forum will be open to all interested AQHA members. Save me a seat.

The SBRC meets on Monday.

The Superman Foal © 2009 Fran Jurga, created with Puppet Tool Software