A lab in China has successfully cloned identical long-tailed macaque monkeys, named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua. The success of the cloning will be useful in the research of human diseases, according to a BBC report.
The monkeys will be used as a model for studying genetic based diseases such as cancer, metabolic or immune disorders, according to a statement by Qiang Sun of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Neuroscience.
Researchers told BBC that the monkeys are growing normally and that more clones are expected to be born over the next few months.
Hua Hua and Zhong Zhong were the result of 79 previous attempts at cloning.
The two were named after the Mandarin term for the Chinese nation and people. The cloning of the monkeys raises ethical questions about human cloning as a possible next step.
The first ever mammal to be cloned, Dolly the sheep, underwent the process at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh over 20 years ago. She was cloned by taking an adult cell from the udder of another sheep.
Since then, scientists have cloned cattle, pig, dogs, cats, mice and rats.
The method used to clone the monkeys is believed to be an inefficient and hazardous procedure, according to Professor Robin Lovell-Badge of the Francis Crick Institute in the BBC article.
"We are very aware that future research using non-human primates anywhere in the world depends on scientists following very strict ethical standards,” said Co-researcher Dr. Mu-ming Poo of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, in the BBC article.
The researchers said they were following the international guidelines for animal research.
