Why are sheep used in scientific research?

Find out why sheep are used in scientific and medical research in this short video.

How Dolly the sheep was cloned

A 6.6kg Finn Dorset lamb 6LLS was born after a 148 day gestation period on 5 July 1996; its name was Dolly. This animal is undoubtedly the world's most famous sheep: the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. Despite some controversy, the benefits of successful animal cloning could be enormous. Research aims to produce medicines in the milk of such animals, for example, the blood clotting agent factor IX for haemophilia or alpha-1-antitrypsin for cystic fibrosis and other lung conditions. Clones can also provide a greater understanding of the development of the embryo and of ageing and age-related diseases. Conventional sheep, and cattle, are also used in veterinary research. 

See AnimalResearch.info on sheep

Researching bluetongue virus in sheep

In 2017, we spoke to researchers at the Pirbright Institute about their research into bluetongue virus, a virus which infects ruminant animals such as sheep and cows.