In August 2004, New castle scientists were awarded license for human cloning by Britain. On May 19, 2005, they reported that they have successfully produced an embryo (which is at an early stage,) cloned from a human cell by the means of nuclear transfer.
Cloning is not used by the researchers to make human infants. Instead they create a test-tube embryo which will supply stem cells. Stem cells are the building blocks that give rise to every tissue in the body. They are genetic match for a particular patient, which will prevent the rejection by the immune system. The scientists might be able to repair the damage from spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes etc, if they could harness the regenerative power of stem cells.