Scientists from Iran have successfully cloned a goat, and plan to conduct further experiments hoping to aide in stroke treatments.

A team of researchers from the Royan Research Institute announced the birth of a female goat named Hana at 1:30am on Wednesday.

Born at the Isfahan campus of Royan Institute in Isfahan, Iran, this is the second clone to hail from Iran; the first was a sheep named Royana, healthy and thriving two and a half years later.

The nation, which is the first in the Middle East to have successfully cloned animals, is pushing to become central location in advanced technology by 2025, focusing on nuclear power, medicine, and aerospace.

According to Dr. Mohammed Hossein Nasr e Isfahani, embryologist and head of the Royan Research Institute, the recent cloning successes could lead to advanced in new medical research, such as finding disease antibodies and treating stroke victims.

Iran’s cloning successes have been admired and supported from Shiite Muslim religious leaders, who have banned human reproductive cloning, but have authorized animal clones. The majority of Iran’s population of 70 million people are Shiite Muslims.

For more information: royaninstitute.org

Pictured: Hana, the newborn goat; image courtesy of royaninstitute.org

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