1st Cloned Rhesus Monkey Survive More than a Day
- Hyun Cho
- Jan 26, 2024
- 1 min read
January 26, 2024
By Hyun Cho
Scientists have created a healthy rhesus monkey clone that has survived for more than a day. This is achieved by providing the cloned embryo with a healthy placenta, paving the way for more efficient cloning of primates and other mammals.
This cloning was successfully carried out in China through the aforementioned new method of providing the cloned embryo with a healthy placenta. Researchers believe that this innovative technique could significantly increase the success rate of cloning.
The monkey, named Retro, is now three and a half years old and continues to grow healthily, according to the study’s co-author, Qiang Sun, a primate neuroscientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology.
Rhesus monkeys are commonly used in laboratory experiments and medical research because their genetic composition is closely related to that of humans. By creating clones of these monkeys, it is easier to obtain non-human primate models with identical genetic backgrounds in a short time, aiding researchers in filtering out the effects of genetic variation between models when testing drugs and other substances.
Retro’s successful cloning was detailed in a new study published on January 16 in the journal Nature Communications.
