WANA (Aug 20) — Specialists at Iran’s National Genetic and Biological Resource Center have successfully created and stored an immortalized, registered cell line from the endangered Persian leopard “Aras,” further enriching the national wildlife gene bank.

 

According to Dr. Maryam Farghadan, head of the center’s Human and Animal Cell Bank, Aras was rescued from poachers in 2012 and is currently housed at Mashhad Zoo. Despite suffering a seizure in late 2023, Aras was treated and stabilized by a veterinary team.

 

In collaboration with the Khorasan Razavi Environmental Department, the center’s researchers cultured and stored Aras’s cells following standard laboratory procedures, under a “sustainable utilization” approach. This effort supports the preservation of the Persian leopard, which is listed as endangered by the IUCN.

 

The center is also working under an agreement with the Environmental Protection Organization to create a cell bank for other endangered species.

 

This initiative has already resulted in a valuable collection of authenticated and registered cell samples from the Asiatic cheetah, Mazandaran brown bear, Caspian miniature horse, Baluchi black bear, and the Persian leopard.

 

Leopard of Mazandaran. Social Media / WANA News Agency

Leopard of Mazandaran. Social Media / WANA News Agency