My Gametogenesis Wiki page - Lab 12

by Stella Zhang

Summary

Nuclear cloning is the application of transferring a nucleus fro man adult donor cell into an enucleated oocyte to generate a clowned embryo. The embryo has the potential to grow become any type of cell with direct link to the donor, which can then be harvested for medical purposes. This kind of therapy can be used to treat many diseases such as genetic disorders and diabetes. Cloning uses an unfertilized oocyte and there’s big difference in reproductive cloning and nuclear-transportation therapy. The purpose of nuclear-transformation is to generate an autologous embryonic stem-cell line. Nuclear cloning can be combined with gene and cell therapy which will generate functional cells from cloned embryonic cells. Such treatment has been experimented in mouse to treat genetic disorder. Clone failure can occur as the cloning technique is still in its early stage. Abnormal fetal development is one of the fundamental cause of clone failure. The way nuclear clone therapy works is that cells derived from the cloned stem cells will be transplanted to a patient and the transplanted cells will interact with the patient’s cells to create a chimeric tissue. In summary, the transferred stem cells are the same as stem cells derived from a fertilized zygote. Adult stem cells serve as an alternative to therapeutic cloning. The ethical and technical limitations of this form of therapy present a challenge to scientists and patients. It is important to have a better understanding at molecule level before the wide application of this therapy. 

My position on nuclear cloning 

Nuclear cloning seems like a futuristic therapy to combat many rare diseases as well as genetic diseases. I particularly feel very sorry about people who inherited diseases without a choice. Many infants and children have been abandoned because of these deficiencies. Nuclear cloning presents a real opportunity to benefit the next generation as well as the existing one. I understand that the subject is extremely touchy and might spark a lot of poignant opinions but many scientific breakthroughs were thought to be unethical and even criminal at first. Scientists must continue working on nuclear cloning and one day it will be beneficial for the entire humankind. 

Reference:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/somatic_cell_nuclear_transfer.htm