SEOUL — A team of scientists has re-cloned the world's first dog clone, in a bid to find out if the process has an impact on a clone's health or lifespan.

BBC reports that dog clone Snuppy was created in 2005 using a stem cell from an Afghan hound, and born via a surrogate labrador mother.

The original dog, named Tai, died from cancer when he was 12 years old. Snuppy would later live to age 10 before also succumbing to cancer, though not the same kind.

When Snuppy was five years old, researchers collected his stem cells while also taking eggs from female dogs and taking out their nuclei.

Using a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer, nuclei from the stem cells were transferred into the empty eggs, then stimulated into dividing — creating over 94 embryos.

The embryos were implanted into surrogates, resulting in the birth of four live re-clones. Though one died from diarrhea days after the birth, the remaining three are now nine months old and still healthy.

Researchers published their report in the journal Scientific Reports. They say they will closely monitor the puppies and measure virtually all aspects of their lives, including growth, metabolism, immune system, and disease development.