clonality

Clonality refers to cells that originate from a single ancestor cell and share the same genetic makeup. Imagine a family tree where all members come from one common ancestor; similarly, clonally related cells are like a "family" of identical or nearly identical cells. This concept is important in biology and medicine because, for example, in cancer, the tumor cells often come from a single abnormal cell that started dividing uncontrollably, creating a clone of identical cells. Clonality helps researchers understand how cells are related and how some diseases develop or spread.