A team of scientists have used cloning methods to produce stem cells from the skin cells of adult patients. The DNA was then fused with human eggs donated by four adult women. This marks only the second time human stem cells have been cloned, and the first time cells from an adult have been successfully copied. The scientists involved in the new study, based in Los Angeles and South Korea, showed that the cells they harvested could develop into any of the major tissues found in a human embryo, giving them the potential for applications in a range of therapeutic contexts. Therapeutic cloning describes the concept of using a subjects DNA to create stem cells tailored for their own body, cells that could then be used to cure diseases or repair tissues in the original donor.