Therapeutic Cloning
Should a women's embryo be used to benefit a disability?
What is Therapeutic Cloning?
Therapeutic Cloning Process
Therapeutic cloning is another phase of a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)
- A scientist extracts the nucleus from an egg.
- The nucleus holds the genetic material for a human or laboratory animal.
- The scientist then takes a somatic cell, which is any body cell other than an egg or sperm, and also extract the nucleus from this cell.
- The nucleus that is extracted from the somatic cell in the patient is then inserted into the egg, which had its nucleus previously removed.
- In a very basic sense, it's a procedure of substitution. The egg now contains the patient's genetic material, or instructions.
- It is stimulated to divide and shortly thereafter forms a cluster of cells known as a blastocyst.
What is a blastocyst and an embryo? How are the terms related to a human egg? What does it have to do with stem cells?
Embryo
- Newest organism at earliest stage of development
- AKA "fertilized egg"
- 5 stages
- Has both an outer and inner layer of cells
- Inner layer (inner cell mass) is rich in stem cells
- The cells in the inner cell mass are isolated and then utilized to create embryonic stem cell lines, which are infused into the patient where they are ideally integrated into the tissues, imparting structure and function as needed.
- "a mammalian blastula in which some differentiation of cells has occurred".
Embryonic Differentiation
Blastocyst
Development of the Embryo
Sources of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines
- Existing cell lines
- Spare embryos from fertility treatments
- Custom-made embryos created by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), the technique used to create the sheep, Dolly
Pros
- The stem cells that are extracted are pluripotent cells which can treat diseases by replacing damaged cells.
- Therapeutic cloning reduces the rejection rate of organ transplant due to new organs created from patient's cells.
- Therapeutic cloning can create more jobs.
- No organ donors or surgery are needed from the second party.
- Organs would match the patient's exact DNA.
- No organ or tissue rejection- the immune system of the patient would not react to the new organs or tissue.
Cons
- The amount of usable stem cells in an embryo are limited.
- Some stem cells can mutate and cause tumors in patients.
- When curing diseases, millions of eggs are needed that are not available.
- Ethical reason- against "God's rules" life and death to consider.
- Extraction of eggs are costly and painful
- Therapeutic cloning is very costly for research
- Some cells have defects and die and as a result are not beneficial.
CONCLUSION
Bibliography
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