Royana (2006-2010) is Iran's and the Middle East's first successfully cloned sheep. He was a brown male domestic sheep. Royana was cloned in Royan Research Institute in Isfahan, Iran (The word Royan means embryo in Persian). Actually he was the second cloned sheep in Royan Research Institute (the first sheep died few hours after birth).
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Birth
On September 30, 2006, a group of scientists in Iran cloned Royana from an adult cell in a test tube in a laboratory. After the embryo proved its stability, scientists transferred it to the uterus of a female sheep. After a period of 145 days, Royana was born by caesarean section. Despite critical conditions, he survived and thrived. Royana was born on April 15, 2006, 1:30 am at Isfahan campus of Royan Institute by cesarean section in a healthy condition.
Death
Royana was euthanized after the abdominal pain was traced to its liver, it also seemed that Royana suffered premature death syndrome. Royana, died at the age of three.
Its birth was a great step to produce transgenic lambs containing factor IX transgenic which is helpful in human blood clotting.
Royan Institute and Cloning
Cloning is a very complicated high tech method that enables us to reproduce exact copies of the original mammal with exactly the same genetic structure. Founded in 1991.
With Royana, Iran has become one of the few countries to possess the technology and the means to clone farm animals, which could lead to advances in medical research, including using cloned animals to produce human antibodies against diseases.
In January 2010, Iran became the first Middle Eastern country to produce transgenic animals, such as sheep and goats to have foreign proteins in their milk, which renders them valuable sources of protein for human therapy.
Biotechnology is Iran's second most important scientific research field after nuclear technology.