Editing Somatic cell nuclear transfer (section)

===Reproductive cloning===
{{Main|Cloning}}
This technique is currently the basis for [[cloning]] animals (such as the famous [[Dolly the sheep]]),<ref name=Campbell>{{cite journal |vauthors=Campbell KH, McWhir J, Ritchie WA, Wilmut I |title=Sheep cloned by nuclear transfer from a cultured cell line |journal=Nature |volume=380 |issue=6569 |pages=64–6 |date=March 1996 |pmid=8598906 |doi=10.1038/380064a0 |bibcode=1996Natur.380...64C |s2cid=3529638 }}</ref> and has been proposed as a possible way to clone humans. Using SCNT in reproductive cloning has proven difficult with limited success. High fetal and neonatal death make the process very inefficient. Resulting cloned offspring are also plagued with development and imprinting disorders in non-human species. For these reasons, along with moral and ethical objections, reproductive cloning in humans is proscribed in more than 30 countries.<ref>{{cite journal
|pmid= 22795681
|year= 2012
|author1= Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine
|title= Human somatic cell nuclear transfer and cloning
|journal= Fertility and Sterility
|volume= 98
|issue= 4
|pages= 804–7
|doi= 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2012.06.045
|doi-access= free
}}</ref> Most researchers believe that in the foreseeable future it will not be possible to use the current cloning technique to produce a human clone that will develop to term. It remains a possibility, though critical adjustments will be required to overcome current limitations during early embryonic development in human SCNT.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Revel M |title=Research on animal cloning technologies and their implications in medical ethics: an update |journal=Med Law |volume=19 |issue=3 |pages=527–43 |year=2000 |pmid=11143888 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Rhind SM, Taylor JE, De Sousa PA, King TJ, McGarry M, Wilmut I |title=Human cloning: can it be made safe? |journal=Nat. Rev. Genet. |volume=4 |issue=11 |pages=855–64 |date=November 2003 |pmid=14634633 |doi=10.1038/nrg1205 |s2cid=37351908 }}</ref>

There is also the potential for treating diseases associated with mutations in mitochondrial DNA. Recent studies show SCNT of the nucleus of a body cell afflicted with one of these diseases into a healthy oocyte prevents the inheritance of the mitochondrial disease. This treatment does not involve cloning but would produce a child with three genetic parents. A father providing a sperm cell, one mother providing the egg nucleus, and another mother providing the enucleated egg cell.<ref name="Pera"/>

In 2018, the first successful [[clone (cell biology)|cloning]] of [[primate]]s using somatic cell nuclear transfer, the same method as [[Dolly (sheep)|Dolly the sheep]], with the birth of two live female clones ([[crab-eating macaque]]s named [[Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua|''Zhong Zhong'' and ''Hua Hua'']]) was reported.<ref name="CELL-20180124"/><ref name="SCINAT-20180124">
*{{cite journal |last=Normile |first=Dennis |title=These monkey twins are the first primate clones made by the method that developed Dolly |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/these-monkey-twins-are-first-primate-clones-made-method-developed-dolly |date=24 January 2018 |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |doi=10.1126/science.aat1066 |access-date=24 January 2018}}
*{{cite journal |last=Cyranoski |first=David |title=First monkeys cloned with technique that made Dolly the sheep – Chinese scientists create cloned primates that could revolutionize studies of human disease. |date=24 January 2018 |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=553 |issue=7689 |pages=387–388 |doi=10.1038/d41586-018-01027-z|pmid=29368720 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2018Natur.553..387C }}</ref><ref name="SA-20180124">{{cite web |last=Maron |first=Dina Fine |title=First Primate Clones Produced Using the "Dolly" Method – The success with monkeys could ignite new ethical debates and medical research |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/first-primate-clones-produced-using-the-ldquo-dolly-rdquo-method/ |date=24 January 2018 |work=[[Scientific American]] |access-date=24 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="BBC-20180124">{{cite news |last=Briggs |first=Helen |title=First monkey clones created in Chinese laboratory |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/health-42809445 |date=24 January 2018 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=24 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20180124gk">{{cite news |last=Kolata |first=Gina |title=Yes, They've Cloned Monkeys in China. That Doesn't Mean You're Next. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/24/science/cloned-monkeys-china.html |date=24 January 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=25 January 2018}}</ref>