S. Korean scientists clone famous 9/11 rescue dog

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, June 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korean scientists on Thursday said they have
successfully cloned a dog that made headlines by rescuing victims out of the
World Trade Center following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Suam Biotechnology Institute said the team led by Hwang Woo-suk cloned "Trakr,"
who died in April at the age of 16. The dog became a "hero" after having pulled
the last remaining survivor out of the rubble of Ground Zero in New York.
Hwang, a former veterinary professor at Seoul National University, was the first
scientist ever to clone a dog in 2005. He is a controversial figure, however,
having been disgraced by reports that he falsified data related to the creation
of the world's first embryonic stem cells, for which he is currently on trial.
The laboratory said that the cloning took place in cooperation with
California-based BioArts International that provided the dog's DNA samples. Suam
said that it cloned the rescue dog free of charge with all five puppies being
given to James Symington, a retired Canadian police officer and the original
owner of Trakr.
The laboratory in Yongin, south of Seoul, said that original DNA from the German
Shepard was inserted into a "surrogate" cell that was then injected into female
dogs. It stressed that the five puppies were exact copies of Trakr, with their
DNA being checked by an independent laboratory.
"The puppies are expected to become rescue dogs and could open new horizons for
cloning specialized canines that have done well in police and rescue operations,"
a Suam spokesperson said.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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