Chinese researchers have achieved a groundbreaking milestone by successfully cloning the initial rhesus monkey, a species crucial in medical research due to its physiological resemblance to humans. 

This advancement is anticipated to expedite drug testing, as the genetic uniformity of cloned animals promises more reliable trial outcomes. 

Past attempts at rhesus monkey cloning have faced challenges, with either no live births or the offspring succumbing within hours, BBC reported on Tuesday.  

In mammalian reproduction, the mixture of genes from both parents results in offspring. However, cloning involves techniques that generate a genetically identical replica of a single animal. 

Dolly the sheep, the most renowned cloned animal, was created in 1996 by reprogramming a cell from another sheep into embryos, which were then implanted into Dolly’s surrogate mother.

Published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers describe replicating this process with a rhesus monkey, which has remained in good health for over two years, affirming the success of the cloning procedure. 

Doctor Falong Lu of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences expressed joy at the achievement.

Despite the positive outcomes, an animal welfare group, the UK’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), voiced deep concerns. The RSPCA emphasised that the suffering endured by the cloned animal outweighs the immediate benefits to human patients.

Rhesus monkeys, inhabiting regions from Afghanistan through India to China, are vital in infection and immunity studies. While macaque monkeys were cloned in 2018, the preference for rhesus monkeys in medical research persists due to their genetic similarity to humans.