Handmade cloning: the future way of nuclear transfer?

The topic of this review is an alternative technique for somatic cell nuclear transfer. Removal of the zona pellucida facilitates manipulations of mammalian oocytes and early embryos, and problems related to their subsequent culture are commonly overestimated. This approach enables radical modifications to somatic cell nuclear transfer, and the handmade cloning (HMC) technique is now successfully applied to an increasing numbers of species. HMC radically decreases costs and the need for a skilled workforce; furthermore, it increases productivity, enables cryopreservation, and results in birth rates comparable, or even higher, than those achievable by micromanipulation-based traditional cloning (TC). The new technique can accelerate technology transfer and standardization and, eventually, might contribute to the widespread application of cloning. Additionally, HMC offers unique possibilities for the automation of somatic cell nuclear transfer.