This would allow them to test new treatments for a variety of conditions such as AIDS, cancer and heart disease in a way that is not currently possible. The birth of Tetra suggests that scientists may have bridged the scientific gap between genetically identical knockout mice and human patients. There are many potential areas where this technology might advance biological research. In addition to providing researchers with more reliable test animals and controls, the discovery could also benefit researchers looking at the role of the maternal environment in the characteristics of offspring. It is also likely to be a boon to those studying embryology and stem cell development.
Many questions remain to be answered.
For example, researchers still need to confirm that twins or 'multiples' created by this method are as health and long-lived as normal monkeys. They also need to explore why the success rate has been so low. It is also worth noting that, although laboratory tests did show that Tetra was identical to the embryos that did not survive, this is one step short from producing two living identical clones from separate mothers. The research is ongoing. One pregnancy is from the transfer of a single embryo, the other three are singletons resulting from the transfer of two unrelated embryos.