Mule cloning expert dies at 57

LOVELAND, Colo. - Gordon Woods, a former researcher at the University of Idaho and leader of a team that produced the first equine clone - a mule named Idaho Gem - died Thursday at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland. He was 57.

Woods attended Lewiston High School and earned degrees at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, and the UI. He earned his doctor of veterinary medicine degree at Colorado State University in 1975. He worked for a time at the Lewiston Veterinary Clinic before continuing his studies in reproductive biology.

When Woods returned to Idaho in 1986, he founded the Northwest Equine Reproduction Laboratory and taught at Washington State University. In 1989, he joined the UI as a professor in the Department of Animal and Veterinary Science, working there until 2007, when he moved his program to Colorado State University.

It was at UI that he produced the cloned mule foal in 2003, with two more clones - Utah Pioneer and Idaho Star - being born a year later. The accomplishment thrust Woods and his team's research onto the international stage, publishing their research in the Journal of Science.

In 2004, Woods participated in the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Seattle, and later that year he took part in the EuroScience conference in Stockholm, Sweden.

Woods' work in using horses as models for exploring human health issues led to his founding of the private company CancEr2. Two other companies he created, EquinE2 and ClonE2, were developed to commercialize equine reproduction technology and cloning services.

A funeral for Woods is planned for 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Stake Center in Moscow. Short's Funeral Chapel is handling arrangements.