Stem cells derived from cloned embryos appear genetically identical to those created by fertilisation in mice, researchers at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research report.

The results of the new study — which examined gene expression patterns in the stem cells — suggest that there is no subset of genes that is universally activated or disabled in cloned stem cells as compared with their normal stem cell counterparts.

The “reassuring” findings also address concerns that stem cells from cloned embryos contain unusual genetic features that could make them unsuitable for therapeutic purposes.