Chile’s first cloned equine, an identical copy of the polo mare Capacidad, was successfully born on September 26 in the O’Higgins Region following a nearly year-long gestation. The milestone achievement by researchers from the University of Concepción and Vi-Embryos opens commercial opportunities for local breeding while reviving international debates over reproductive biotechnology.
The Birth of Capacidad 1 in San Fernando
The milestone birth took place in the O’Higgins Region after a gestation period lasting nearly a full year. The newborn foal is an identical copy of Capacidad, a polo mare. Leading the scientific team behind the procedure are Fidel Ovidio Castro and Lleretny Rodríguez, academics at the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Concepción and founders of the technology company Vi-Embryos, working alongside the Centro de Reproducción Equina Los Abedules.
Weeks before the delivery, veterinarian Carolina Urquidi coordinated around-the-clock monitoring of the surrogate mare, Pauly, in San Fernando. The team tracked fetal heart rates weekly, performed regular ultrasounds, and evaluated placental development to ensure the pregnancy progressed normally after five initial embryos were transferred and the others were lost during early stages.
Carolina Urquidi said that we are all very anxious and happy waiting for her birth.
Overcoming Equine Reproductive Barriers
Cloning horses required researchers to start nearly from scratch despite their previous success producing the cow Victoria in 2008 as the first animal born in the country with this technique. Rodríguez noted that a common mistake is assuming protocols successfully deployed in one species transfer easily to another because reproductive physiology varies dramatically across species.
The procedure demands precise synchronization between the recipient uterus and the developing embryo, involving equine oocytes that differ significantly from those of ruminants.
Lleretny Rodríguez noted that equine oocytes are nothing like ruminant oocytes. And we thought it was going to be easier, but standardization cost us, from the collection of oocytes and in vitro maturation to the actual manipulation.
Commercial Horizons for Chilean Genetics
For the researchers, mastering equine cloning provides a direct avenue to multiply elite sports animals. Because cloning replicates the genome, the technology preserves genetic pools. Castro suggests that this breakthrough allows Chile to leverage its native Fina Sangre Chilena breed, creating economic opportunities to export semen, cell lines, and cloned studs.
While prices in North America and Europe often reach roughly $85,000 dollars, Castro suggests that this breakthrough allows Chile to leverage its native Fina Sangre Chilena breed, creating economic opportunities to export semen, cell lines, and cloned studs.
The Technical Reality of Human Cloning
Reflecting on broader applications of somatic cell nuclear transfer, Rodríguez pointed out that the homo sapiens is probably one of the easiest species to work with in vitro. Noting that non-human primate cloning was achieved with the birth of the rhesus macaque Tetra in 1999, the researchers emphasized that biological barriers no longer dictate the boundaries of reproductive science.
Lleretny Rodríguez stated that it is very easy to culture human embryos. From a biological and technical point of view, I would say that it wouldn't be complicated to clone humans. Now, the whole limitation is ethical.
While acknowledging public stigma, Rodríguez compared the evolution of biotechnology to assisted reproductive techniques like ICSI and insulin development, noting that these procedures eventually find acceptance even within conservative societies like Chile.