Two gene-edited beagle dogs have been cloned from skin cells for the very first time in South Korea.
Scientists from the Chungnam National University hope the breakthrough could lead to healthier bulldogs and eliminate common genetic diseases in canines.
The tiny puppies had their genetic code mutated to remove a gene called DJ-1, which is associated with diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
The new technique could allow pure-bred dogs, who are prone to inherited genetic conditions from years of inbreeding, to live longer and healthier lives.
Okjae Koo, from the South Korean biotech company ToolGen, said: "This technology can be used in further studies to produce pathogenic gene-corrected or disease-modelling dogs."
Sign to our TeamDogs newsletter for your weekly dose of dog news, pictures and stories.
The process used to clone the dogs was somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), whereby scientists removed the nucleus of an egg cell and replace it with a genetically tweaked body cell.
Another technique, known as Crispr, was used to precisely snip away parts of the gene which were harmful or unwanted.
A total of 68 embryos were created and implanted into six different surrogate mothers, creating two puppies as a result.
The dogs, who are now 22-months-old, do not have any abnormalities, though diseases linked to DJ-1 are age-related so they may arise as they get older.
By using these techniques, scientists are able to target specific regions of DNA and effectively 'silence' genes.
"We developed genome-edited dogs using SCNT (somatic cell nuclear transfer) and CRISPR-Cas9," the researchers wrote in the paper.
"DJ-1 KO dogs show partial or complete repression of target gene expression."
The new research was published in the journal BMC Biotechnology.
It comes after experts urged the public not to buy pugs until there is an improvement in their health and body shape.
A study by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) revealed pugs are twice as likely to develop disorders annually compared to other dogs.
Researchers argue that pugs "can no longer be considered a typical dog" from a health perspective.
Dr Dan O'Neill, associate professor in companion animal epidemiology at the RVC, said: "Although hugely popular as pets, we now know that several severe health issues are linked to the extreme body shape of pugs that many humans find so cute.
"It is time now that we focus on the health of the dog rather than the whims of the owner when we are choosing what type of dog to own."
Do you have any expert dog advice to share? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
