(ECNS) -- Five monkeys cloned from a gene-edited parent with biological rhythm problems were revealed in National Science Review.
The clones were created from the fibroblasts of an adult macaque during the last six months in Shanghai.
The macaque's DNA had been edited to remove the gene BMAL1, which helps regulate circadian rhythms.
Researchers wanted to see if disorders showed up prominently in cloned offspring.
The new monkeys have shown a wide range of negative behavior like reduced sleep.
They also exhibited elevated anxiety, depression and schizophrenia-like behavior.
The experiment paves the way for the study of circadian disorder-related conditions in humans.
The studies show that China has successfully produced customized gene-edited macaques with uniform genetic backgrounds.
