cloning stem cells

today we will be talking about therapeutic cloning in stem cell technology. embryonic stem cells are un- differentiated cells that can divide indefinitely and develop into any cell type found in the human body. obviously, this is incredibly useful in medicine, and technology may progress to the point where we can reliably and successfully

program these cells ourselves. these programs cells could be introduced to the human body to repair faulty or damaged organ tissues. duchenne muscular dystrophy is a muscle wasting disease that is genetically inherited. it is caused by large insertion or deletion mutations in the gene that codes for dystrophin, a protein that forms tubes of

muscle tissue. duchenne dystrophy is the most severe disorder of this type, as the large insertions or deletions result in the reading frame for the trna during translation being shifted, which instead of creating the correct protein, creates a chain of useless amino acids. very little muscle is able to actually form. specialized stem cells could be

introduced arterially, where they would spread throughout the body and diffuse into the existing muscle to repair and strengthen it, creating muscles that regenerated independently of the person's flawed body processes. however it isn't this easy; your body's immune system, if injected with foreign dna, will attack and kill the cells,

causing a reaction that very much resembles an allergic reaction and may actually kill the patient. so how might we get around this? cloning is a well-known but tedious way of producing a genetically identical embryo. in 1996, the first successfully cloned sheep was born. this is the method they used. first, a fertile and healthy female animal is

selected (we'll call this animal sheep a) an egg cell is extracted and isolated. then, a somatic cell or body cell is isolated from the animal that is to be cloned (which we shall call sheep b). through the use of a thin sharp pipette the nuclei of both cells are extracted. the somatic cell and egg nucleus are both discarded and the

nucleus containing sheep b's dna is inserted into the egg cell. in order to initiate cell division and fuse the nucleus into the cell the egg cell is treated with caffeine and given small electric shocks. this produces a group of cells if successful, which can then be implanted into the uterus of a female which

ultimately results in the birth of an animal genetically identical to the animal from which the somatic cell was taken. so what does this have to do with stem cells? well, if you don't proceed with the implantation step, you're left with an embryo composed of genetically identical stem cells that can be treated and used

to repair defects or damage in the cloned organism without the problem of rejection. it is clear that if this technology reaches its full potential many people will benefit. previously incurable genetic diseases may be remedied using these stem cells, such as diabetes. if a disease as prevalent as

diabetes can be treated, individuals wouldn't need to spend money on monitors and supplies to keep their blood sugar stable, and they would no longer have to adhere to a strict diet. in 2015 1.5 million deaths were caused by diabetes alone and a solution such as this could greatly reduce that number. some people, however, believe that by

extending the lives of real people scientists are "playing god" and keeping people alive in unnatural ways. although this technology could potentially correct many health problems, it is met with a lot of resistance. the two main arguments against therapeutic cloning involved the morality of using human embryos and the fear of reproductive

cloning. the argument concerning the embryos is based around the idea that the stem cells used could be viewed as a potential human life and disposing of them or accidentally destroying them is a form of murder. the fear of reproductive cloning is anchored in much sounder logic. what if the embryo is implanted instead of used?

early human trials are often considered inhumane; extremely so if the trial affects an unwilling participant such as offspring. clones have a long history of being born with serious health defects, so this is a legitimate concern. this is however restricted by law in some places. because therapeutic cloning is so highly debated and controversial it is

essential to have the proper laws in place to minimize the danger of large mistakes being made which could potentially jeopardize not only this specific field, but the general field of stem cell research and cloning as well. in canada it is legal to obtain and use leftover human embryos for stem cell research. therapeutic cloning research is

permitted but reproductive cloning is majorly outlawed. this creates a safe, legal environment for scientists to explore the potential of therapeutic cloning for medical reasons. unfortunately, because this technology is so new, many countries haven't had enough time to create laws that restrict or support scientists in this field. in

america, for example, there are no federal regulations on therapeutic or reproductive cloning, which means that in most states it is actually legal for human cloning to take place despite potentially disastrous consequences. hopefully, regulations will be put in place that allowed therapeutic cloning to continue in a safe way that allows

the development of stem cell technology that could potentially save millions of lives.