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Scientists Clone Monkey Embryo, Derive Stem Cells

Scientists in Oregon are the first to successfully clone a primate embryo. The research team at Oregon Health & Science University used skin cells from rhesus macaque monkeys to create the cloned embryos. They then extracted embryonic stem cells from the just-created embryos.

The new work is published online in the journal Nature.

In 2004, Korean researchers fraudulently claimed to have used a similar process to clone a human embryo.

Joe Palca, NPR's science correspondent, discusses the new research, which scientists hope may one day be used to create customized stem-cell therapies.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.