Embryonic stem cells from cattle can now be stored in mass in the laboratory, paving the way for advanced breeding developments in dairy cattle and other livestock.

These new ways of efficiently isolating and maintaining cells provide scientists from Australia’s Dairy Cooperative Research Centre with the raw materials to investigate a range of stem cell applications.

The developments have been made by Dr. Paul Verma and his team, at the Monash Institute for Medical Research, Monash University as part of the Dairy CRC’s Breeding Technologies Program. Internationally, this is the most advanced stem cell work in a domestic species. It is core research which adds significantly to knowledge about cell development and breeding.

The project is funded by the Dairy CRC which aims to enhance the profitability of the Australian dairy industry though development and application of new genetic technologies.

What is a stem cell? Stem cells are cells that have not yet become a specific type of cell such as heart, brain or liver cell. Embryonic stem cells can potentially produce every type of cell found in the body (eg skin, mammary gland or sperm cells).

For more information: Dairy CRC,

Gabrielle Sheehan, Tel: +61 3 9607 8608,

gabrielle.sheehan@dairycrc.com