Scientists have grown stem cells from adults using cloning techniques for the first time bringing them closer to developing patient-specific lines of cells that can be used to treat a whole host of ailments, from heart disease to blindness.
The research, described in Thursdays online edition of the journal Cell Stem Cell, is a controversial advance likely to reopen the debate over the ethics of human cloning.
The scientists technique was similar to the one used in the first clone of a mammal, Dolly the sheep, which was created in 1996.
They reprogrammed an egg cell by removing its DNA and replaced it with that of an adult donor. Scientists then zapped the cell with electricity, which made it divide and multiply. The resulting cells were identical in DNA to the donor.
The first success in humans was reported last year by scientists at the Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center. But they used donor cells from infants. In this study, the cells came from two men, a 35-year-old and a 75-year-old.
Paul Knoepfler, an associate professor at the University of California at Davis who studies stem cells, called the new research exciting, important, and technically convincing.
In theory you could use those stem cells to produce almost any kind of cell and give it back to a person as a therapy, he said.
In their paper, Young Gie Chung from the Research Institute for Stem Cell Research for CHA Health Systems in Los Angeles, Robert Lanza from Advanced Cell Technology in Marlborough, Mass., and their co-authors emphasized the promise of the technology for new therapies. What they didnt mention but was clear to those working with stem cells was that their work was also an important discovery for human cloning.
While the research published Thursday involves cells that are technically an early stage embryo, the intention is not to try to grow them into a fully formed human. However the techniques in theory could be a first step toward creating a baby with the same genetic makeup as a donor.
Bioethicists call this the dual-use dilemma.
Marcy Darnovsky, executive director of the Berkeley, Calif.-based Center for Genetics and Society, explained that many technologies developed for good can be used in ways that the inventor may not have intended and may not like.
This and every technical advance in cloning human tissue raises the possibility that somebody will use it to clone a human being, and that is a prospect everyone is against, Darnovsky said.
The research was conducted in California by a large team that included representatives from both academia and industry and was funded by a private medical foundation and South Koreas Ministry of Science.
From a technical standpoint, the technique called somatic-cell nuclear transfer is far from perfect. Chungs team attempted the cloning 39 times and only two tries produced embryos. At first they couldnt get the cells to multiply. But it turned out that if the researchers waited two hours instead of 30 minutes before trying to coax the cells, it worked.
We have reaffirmed that it is possible to generate patient-specific stem cells using [this] technology, Chung said.
Shoukhrat Mitalipov, director of the Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy at Oregon Health & Science University, developed the method that Chungs group built upon. He emphasized that the work involves eggs that have not been fertilized.
There will always be opposition to embryonic research, but the potential benefits are huge, Mitalipov said.
Seventeen years ago, news about Dollys birth led to impassioned calls for a ban on human cloning for the purpose of producing a baby who is a genetic copy of someone else. Several countries took measures to limit or outlaw such work. But in the United States, the issue became entangled in the politics of abortion, and Congress became deadlocked. Some lawmakers called for a ban on reproductive human cloning, but others refused to support such legislation unless it included a ban on human cloning whether it was for the purposes of reproduction or for the development of new therapies.
President George W. Bush brokered a compromise of sorts, restricting federal funding from stem cell research that results in harm to a human embryo.
At least 15 states have laws addressing human cloning. About half of them ban both reproductive and therapeutic cloning.
Since embryonic stem cell research began to take off 15 years ago, one of the main challenges scientists have faced is getting the material for their experiments. Many had been getting the cells from embryos left over from fertility treatments, but religious groups such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops vehemently objected to this, arguing that it involves killing a human being because the research involved fertilized eggs.
About seven years ago, scientists discovered they could use a different, molecular approach, called induced pluripotent stem cells, that could turn ordinary cells into stem cells without the need for an egg. While this technique did not present the same ethical issues, researchers soon found that some of the new cells had glitches, and there is still debate over how significant the flaws are. The research conducted by Mitalipov and Chung provides a second way of producing those cells through laboratory techniques.
Ariana Eunjung Cha is a national reporter. She has previously served as the Post's bureau chief in Shanghai and San Francisco, and as a correspondent in Baghdad.
Read the original:
Cloning advance using stem cells from human adult reopens ...
- Jake's mice: Searching for answers to the puzzle of autism - Associated Press - January 5th, 2022
- Understanding Stem Cell Therapy in Parkinsons Disease ... - September 10th, 2019
- Stem Cells Washington D.C., D.C. Surgical Arts - March 24th, 2019
- SCIENCE - Stem Cell Therapy Washington - November 22nd, 2018
- CONDITIONS - Stem Cell Therapy Washington - November 1st, 2018
- Washington, DC - Stem Cells Transplant Institute - July 13th, 2018
- Washington University Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Core ... - July 7th, 2018
- Are Stem Cells the Next Frontier for diabetes treatment ... - September 24th, 2017
- Zika virus kills brain cancer stem cells - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis - September 5th, 2017
- Revolutionary cancer treatment comes with hefty price tag - Washington Examiner - September 5th, 2017
- Eric Brown, BANK VI Hero of the Week - Salina Post - September 5th, 2017
- Why are Bill Gates and Richard Branson investing in meat that costs $18000 a pound?, by Gene Marks - The Keene Sentinel - September 5th, 2017
- For Immune System Stem Cell Studies, Mice Aren't Enough - Science 2.0 - August 25th, 2017
- University of Texas Medical Branch lung experiment in space - Washington Times - August 25th, 2017
- New treatment for deadly blood cancers expected to be approved soon - STLtoday.com - August 25th, 2017
- Howard University Hosts 'Be The Match' Marrow Registry Drive - Howard Newsroom (press release) - August 25th, 2017
- 8 things for spine surgeons to know for Thursday Aug. 24, 2017 - Becker's Orthopedic & Spine - August 25th, 2017
- First human embryo genetically modified in the US - Dailyuw - August 15th, 2017
- Stem Cells Of Type 1 Diabetes Patients Transformed Into ... - August 12th, 2017
- Practical Problems with Embryonic Stem Cells - October 15th, 2015
- Scientific Experts Agree Embryonic Stem Cells Are ... - October 9th, 2015
- Areas of Research | ISCRM - University of Washington - October 8th, 2015
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight - Home - October 8th, 2015
- stemcellbioethics - Module 1 - The Biology of Stem Cells - October 4th, 2015
- Reading: Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative ... - October 4th, 2015
- Developmental Biology, Stem Cells & Aging | Molecular and ... - September 14th, 2015
- In stem-cell research, the potential ... - Washington Post - August 6th, 2015
- Washington DC Stem Cells - Dr. Lox Stem Cells - June 1st, 2015
- Scientists coax stem cells to form 3-D mini lungs - March 25th, 2015
- Washington University researchers find that mouse stem cells lurking in tumors can resist treatment - March 18th, 2015
- Natural protection against Alzheimer's found - March 13th, 2015
- Why Are Drugs So Expensive? One Reason: Scientists Can't Reproduce Each Other's Work - March 13th, 2015
- "Big Brain" Gene Allowed for Evolutionary Expansion of Our Neocortex - March 10th, 2015
- 'Big brain' gene found in humans, not chimps - March 8th, 2015
- Human evolution questioned: 'Big brain gene found humans, not chimps' - February 27th, 2015
- Scientists pinpoint a gene regulator that makes human brains bigger - February 19th, 2015
- TiGenix: TiGenix participates in key conferences in the first half of 2015 - February 2nd, 2015
- Bone stem cells shown to regenerate bones and cartilage in adult mice - January 16th, 2015
- Scientists one step closer to creating human egg, sperm - December 27th, 2014
- Former UW golfer Paige Mackenzie plans LPGA comeback - December 24th, 2014
- Loss of a chemical tag on RNA keeps embryonic stem cells in suspended animation - December 5th, 2014
- Dr Lox - Tampa Stem Cell Therapy | PRP | Knee | Joint ... - December 3rd, 2014
- Researchers Convert Skin Cells To Replace HD-Damaged Brain Cells - November 22nd, 2014
- Scientists strip zebrafish of stripes - November 9th, 2014
- Converting skin cells directly into brain cells advances fight against Huntington's disease - October 26th, 2014
- Stem Cell Breakthrough Puts Type 1 Diabetes Cure In Reach - October 11th, 2014
- Diabetes in a Dish - October 1st, 2014
- Upper Dublin girl names semi-finalist for medical school scholarship - September 24th, 2014
- Washington (Stem Cell) - what-when-how - September 16th, 2014
- Washington DC Resources - Stem Cells: Get Facts on Uses ... - September 10th, 2014
- Stem Cells - University of Washington - September 6th, 2014
- Washington Post on Stem Cells - Gerontology Research Group ... - September 5th, 2014
- Stemcell Technologies - Cell Isolation Products, Cell ... - August 23rd, 2014
- Washington Stem Cell Therapy | Stem Cell Treatments - August 22nd, 2014
- Botox may treat stomach cancers - August 21st, 2014
- Anti-Wrinkle Drug May Treat Stomach Cancers: Study - August 21st, 2014