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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.
During somatic cell nuclear transfer, the oocyte turns off tissue specific genes in the somatic cell nucleus and turns back on embryonic specific genes. This process has been shown through cloning, as seen through John Gurdon with the tadpoles [27] and Dolly the Sheep. [39] Notably, these events have shown that cell fate is a reversible process.
The promise of stem cells, along with the controversy surrounding it, has made the industry a hot-button issue for many. Despite that promise, we have yet to see huge applicable benefits to humans.
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]
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