Cloning. More than ever, the word stirs feelings and triggers debate; what was once science fiction is becoming a scientific fact. What are researchers working on and why? Do we have anything to attain from their continued efforts?
A young American couple, parents of two other healthy children, lost their 10-month old son after a minor operation was botched. The parents suffered more than deep grief and bitter resentment; therefore, they preserved some cells of their child. They believed that somehow they could recreate their son, that is, clone him, and make another child not just in his image but with his genotype.
And this is what is being attempted now. Thanks (inevitably) to the interconnected global world, every interested scientist and doctor is working hard to help this become a reality. As a result, for the first time, researchers have successfully cloned a human embryo – and have extracted stem cells, the body’s building blocks, from the embryo. Stem cells are considered one of the greatest hopes for curing diseases like diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and paralysis caused by spinal cord injury.
But, on the contrary, some see this as an extension of assisted reproductive technology, and as a ‘disruption’ to the natural procreative cycle.
What is Cloning?
Before you decide where you stand on this debate, you’ll need to understand where science is today. ‘Clones are genetically identical individuals,’ says Harry Griffin, Ph.D., Harvard University. ‘Twins are clones.’
Usually, during reproduction, when the sperm and egg cells meet, the fertilized cell begins replicating. Remaining in a cluster (the embryo), the one cell splits into two, four, eight, sixteen, and so on. Eventually, it’s a baby.
About 0.4% of times, though, after the initial replication, the two cells split apart. They continue dividing separately, developing into two individuals with identical genetic composition – identical twins, or clones.
Understanding the real science behind the headlines and the hubbub
In 2004, a team led by Woo-Suk Hwang of Seoul National University in South Korea published a paper that claimed to have successfully cloned a human embryo in a test tube. This new development means that therapeutic cloning – the ability to create human clones for research purposes – is no longer a theory, but a reality.
Prior attempts to clone human embryos to obtain stem cells genetically matching the patient were believed to have failed due to limited technology and knowledge, until now.
In this new study, researchers obtained 242 egg cells donated by 16 women.
The scientists then used a technique called somatic nuclear transfer to remove the DNA of an animal cell and replace it with the nucleus from the donor’s ovarian cell. Then, using chemicals to initiate cell growth, the researchers were able to create thirty blastocysts (which are early-stage embryos containing a hundred cells). These blastocysts were exact replicas or genetic copies of the donor cells.
Furthermore, the researchers harvested an assortment of stem cells that have the potential to grow into any organ in the body. Due to their genetic similarity to the donor, they will not be rejected by the patient’s immune system.
‘This approach opens a door for the use of these specially developed cells in transplantation medicine,’ says Dr. Harry Griffin, a scientist who led the research in Michigan.
Questioning the Viability
Some researchers doubt that this technique for human cloning will ever be of widespread use.
‘The great vision is to intricately personalize stem cells for every patient,’ says Dr. Griffin. ‘You’d take the cell from the patient and create the cell type needed, say pancreatic islet cells for late-stage diabetics. By creating an embryo, and growing them, you can essentially replace their pancreas without any prospect of organ rejection or complications.’
‘If there were enough women to donate enough eggs, and enough [funding], I’m certain it could be done,’ says Steven Stice, Ph.D., professor at the Cambridge University. ‘But we collect hundreds of eggs a day from cattle to do our cloning. You could never expect to do that in humans. Technically, it is not feasible. The cost would be horrendous. It will be very difficult to receive wide-spread access to such technology and time.’
Offering women money would still not yield substantial numbers. Egg harvesting is certainly an uncomfortable process.
The Bottom Line
Only about 1 to 2% of cloned beings make it to live birth. And these numbers cannot be extrapolated to humans, because cows and sheep get pregnant much more easily than humans. What’s more? Numerous animal clones die late in pregnancy, or early in life.
No matter how far science takes us, one thing is certain, people are simply not replaceable. Cloning organs, stem cells, and biological enzymes should be continued in full force to revolutionize the face of medicine and to help late-stage cancer patients, diabetics, Parkinson’s unfortunates, many more. Cloning knows no boundaries in medicinal advancements and disease duration. In the future, therapeutic cloning will bring enhanced possibilities for organ transplantation, nerve cells, and tissue healing, providing a safer, more secure life for us all.