somatic cell nuclear transfer

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a cloning technique where the nucleus (containing an organism's genetic material) from a somatic (body) cell is transferred into an egg cell that has had its nucleus removed. This egg then reprograms the transferred nucleus to develop into an embryo, which can grow into a genetic copy of the original organism. SCNT is used in research, agriculture, and has potential for medical therapies such as generating patient-specific tissues. It essentially reprograms a cell to revert to an early developmental stage, enabling the creation of identical organisms or tissues.