Chinese biotech firm Boyalife Group is set to open the world's largest cloning factory in 2016. Chief executive Dr. Xu Xiaochun vowed to not use the cloning technology on people.
"No, we don't do human cloning, we won't make Frankensteins," said Xu who became interested in plant cloning at the age of 12. Now at 44 years old, Xu aims to lead China in becoming cloning technology's world leader.
The $30 million facility located in Tianjin, northeastern China will clone cattle, racehorses and even drug-sniffing dogs. Xu said their cloning technology is highly advanced, but when left uncontrolled, it can also create damage. The company's chief executive stressed that every technology needs to have boundaries.
Chief Focus: Prime Beef
Boyalife Group's chief focus is to clone prime quality beef. Xu noted that traditionally, the country's cattle industry has not concentrated on producing meat. China's beef consumption is increasing, leading to higher imports of quality meat due to the poor quality of local beef.
Boyalife Group's Tianjin cloning facility is set to produce 10,000 embryos of prime quality beef annually. Along with the country's growing number of beef consumers, the company expects the initial target to surge to one million embryos a year. Given the estimated figures, Boyalife Group is set to become the world's biggest animal-cloning venture.
Boyalife Group is also set to clone bomb-sniffing dogs, which have become part of many anti-terrorism campaigns around the world. Xu likened their stringent top dogs selection process to the student selection process of top universities such as Peking and Harvard.
World Not Ready For Human Cloning
Xu suggested that world isn't ready for human cloning yet. However, he is hopeful that in future, people will see how the cloning technology can benefit the human race.
"Technology is moving very fast...[and] social values can change. Maybe in 100 years, in 200 years, people will think differently," said Xu.
The cloning technology is already being utilized and when the society is ready to embrace the idea of cloning humans, Boyalife Group will be a front-runner in the industry.
"The technology exists. It's been carried out on animals," said molecular biology and public affairs professor Lee Silver from Princeton University. Silver, who wrote a book on the ethics of cloning, said human cloning is "essentially going to be the same."
Photo: Dave Herholz | Flickr
