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The following year, this method achieved a key goal of SCNT-based stem cell research: the derivation of pluripotent stem cell lines that have all genes linked to various diseases. [24] Some scientists working on SCNT-based stem cell research have recently moved to the new methods of induced pluripotent stem cells.
The most likely purpose for this is to produce embryos for use in stem cell research. This process is also called "research cloning" or "therapeutic cloning". The goal is not to create cloned human beings (called "reproductive cloning"), but rather to harvest stem cells that can be used to study human development and to potentially treat disease.
Stem cell treatments. Work on cloning techniques has advanced understanding of developmental biology in humans. Observing human pluripotent stem cells grown in culture provides great insight into human embryo development, which otherwise cannot be seen. Scientists are now able to better define steps of early human development.
Nuclear transfer is a delicate process that is a major hurdle in the development of cloning technology. [5] Materials used in this procedure are a microscope, a holding pipette (small vacuum) to keep the oocyte in place, and a micropipette (hair-thin needle) capable of extracting the nucleus of a cell using a vacuum.
Often these cells are stem cells that are used for gene therapy. Chemical based methods uses natural or synthetic compounds to form particles that facilitate the transfer of genes into cells. [36] These synthetic vectors have the ability to bind DNA and accommodate large genetic transfers. [37]
The employment of adult somatic cells in lieu of embryonic stem cells for cloning emerged from the foundational work of John Gurdon, who cloned African clawed frogs in 1958 with this approach. The successful cloning of Dolly led to widespread advancements within stem cell research, including the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells. [4]
Molecular cloning takes advantage of the fact that the chemical structure of DNA is fundamentally the same in all living organisms. Therefore, if any segment of DNA from any organism is inserted into a DNA segment containing the molecular sequences required for DNA replication, and the resulting recombinant DNA is introduced into the organism from which the replication sequences were obtained ...
Wolf Prize in Medicine 1978–2008 edited by John Gurdon (book) including Chapter 1: John B Gurdon (1989) (pdf, 6 Mb) Cloning and Stem Cell Discoveries Earn Nobel in Medicine (New York Times, 8 October 2012) on YouTube (7 December 2012)