Cloning
Cloning is a process that creates exact genetic copies of an existing cell.Cloning is a more general term that describes a number of different processes that can be used to produce genetically identical copies. The process of cloning can happen either naturally, for instance, when identical twins develop or it can be induced through synthetic conditions in a laboratory. There are three different types of artificial cloning: gene cloning, reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning.
Gene cloning works by first isolating the desired gene and ‘cutting’ it from the original chromosome using restriction enzymes. The piece of DNA is ‘pasted’ into a vector and the ends of the DNA are joined with the vector DNA by ligation. The vector is introduced into a host cell, often a bactera or yeast, by a process called transformation. The host cells copy the vector DNA along with their own DNA, creating multiple copies of the inserted DNA. The vector DNA is separated from the host cells’ DNA and purified. Gene cloning is used to create a large number of copies of a gene. The cloned DNA can be used to decipher the function of the gene, Investigate a gene’s characteristics like size, or expression, look at how mutations may affect a gene’s function or make large concentrations of the protein coded for by the gene.
Reproductive cloning is a type of cloning which is performed for the purpose of creating a duplicate copy of another organism. It creates exact genetic copy, or clone, of an individual. It is accomplished using a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer(SCNT). SCNT when done on a mouse for instance, functions by taking the nucleus out of a somatic cell(any non gamete cell) of one mouse and then that nucleus is put into ...
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...y into a cell it usually will not function the desired way. Instead, a carrier called a vector is genetically engineered to deliver the gene. Certain viruses are often used as vectors because they can deliver the new gene by infecting the cell. The viruses are modified so they can’t cause disease and will not be fought off by the patient’s immune system. The vector can be injected or given by IV directly into a specific place in the patient’s body. The vector can also be introduced after , a sample of the patient’s cells are removed and exposed to the vector in a lab. The cells with the vector are then returned to the patient.
In conclusion, all three of these practices offer the opportunity for great medical advancement but struggle with ethical issues and possible risks as well as questions of their viablity as legitimate treatments to benefit medical problems.
However, I believe the choice is up to the individual receiving treatment to decide the method of their treatment in accordance with their beliefs. I suppose my stance with this is strongly rooted in my acceptance of stem cell research, despite which method is used. While the use of adult cells is less controversial, I do not think they have the capacity to completely replace the use of embryonic stem cells without more testing. Although, I personally am indifferent to where the cells come from, I do not condone effecting an abortion for the sole purpose of stem cell therapy or cloning one child to have the clone just as a lifetime organ donor. I would prefer that the stem cells used for testing be taken from medical waste or otherwise discarded materials. Perhaps one day the stem cells received from adults or the umbilical cord will satisfy all needs and possibly put an end to controversy (NIH,
Either transduction or transfection can be used to get the therapeutic genes into the patients system. Transfection is when the genes are introduced physically or chemically in a way that allows the cell membrane to be temporarily permeable to a foreign DNA. In the second method used for gene therapy, transduction, there is a beneficial gene added into the genetic material of the virus, which then is allowed to infect the target cell which is the indirect transfer method for gene therapy.
Cloning is a real process that scientists use today to reproduce an exact living copy of DNA from the DNA of another living organism. When the idea of cloning first came about in the early 1800’s people believed it to be more science fiction than actual science. People didn’t understand the concept of cloning and therefore was naturally scared of the subject. It is best understood by how the Department of Animal Sciences at Cornell University explains it, “Cloning is a method of producing two or more genetically identical organisms by asexual reproduction. This means that there is only one parent cell, from which all the genetic information will come. Thus, the DNA sequence of cloned organisms is exactly the same as that of the parent cell.” Despite the general population’s disbelief there have been major scientific advances in the cloning process in the last fifty years. After many years of trial and error the first successful clone was created.
Gene therapy works in three ways; it works to replace a missing or defective gene with a normal one, replace a faulty gene so that it will function properly and it works to activate and deactivate a gene, allowing it to “switch” on and off. Gene therapy is done by the deliverance of a gene to a cell via a carrier, or vector, such as a virus. Scientists lean more towards using a virus because they can seek out particular cells and transfer pieces of deoxyribonucleic acid into them. Scientists also take advantage by deactivating their harmful characterizes and modifying them to carry particular gene into designated cells. After gene therapy is done, the genes can then stimulate the production needed for standard functioning, allowing that gene to return to its previous normal state. Therefore, if a patient were to be in the beginning stages of cancer, gene therapy would seek out the cancerous gene and replace it with a healthy one and minimizes the disease from
In September 14, 1990, an operation, which is called gene therapy, was performed successfully at the National Institutes of Health in the United States. The operation was only a temporary success because many problems have emerged since then. Gene therapy is a remedy that introduces genes to target cells and replaces defective genes in order to cure the diseases which cannot be cured by traditional medicines. Although gene therapy gives someone who is born with a genetic disease or who suffers cancer a permanent chance of being cured, it is high-risk and sometimes unethical because the failure rate is extremely high and issues like how “good” and “bad” uses of gene therapy can be distinguished still haven’t been answered satisfactorily.
...us or bacterium used as the carrier. Recombinant vector vaccines are still being experimented on today, just like the DNA vaccinations. The only difference between recombinant vector vaccines and DNA vaccines is the fact recombinant vector vaccines use an attenuated virus or bacterium to introduce microbial DNA to the body’s cells. Scientists created this vaccine by observing nature, and how nature passes viruses along. Scientists noticed that viruses in nature latch on to the cells they want to inject, this caused scientists to figure out how to take parts of an attenuated virus and add genetic matter from other microbes into them. I know this sounds confusing, but it’s quite simple. Just think of it as poisoning the virus. Recombinant vector vaccines are very close to mimicking a natural infection, which causes the immune system to energize and start up sooner.
First, what exactly is cloning? In biology, cloning is used in two contexts: cloning a gene, or cloning an organism. Cloning is the reproduction of a human or animal whose genetic substance is identical to an existing being, such as an embryo or fetus. This is reproductive. Cloning a gene means to extract a gene from one organism and insert it into a second organism. Cloning an organism means to create a new organism with the same genetic information as an existing one. This is therapeutic.
With recent advances in medical technology many ethical debates have been raised that were not previously debatable. These topics include animal rights, a human's right to life, and the ethical justification of the process itself. Xenotransplantation, which involves transplanting animal organs, tissues, or cells to replace failing organs or treat diseases in humans, is one of many ethically debated topics. When animal rights activists think of xenotransplantation, they think of how unethical they assume the process to be. People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, an organization aimed towards animal rights, could not be more against the use of animals for scientific use and testing since the research can be cruel and can cause permanent damage to the animal.
For decades, cloning was merely a topic mentioned in the text of science fiction novels. It was simply a fictitious fantasy that proved to only be for entertainment purposes. However, while all those novels and films were being produced, a multitude of scientists attempted to make what society thought of as a dream, into a reality. The science of cloning is the process of making genetic duplicate of an organism. The scientific history of cloning spans more than 100 years dating back to 1885, and still going strong today. In general, there are two main purposes for cloning: therapeutic or reproductive. Reproductive cloning is performed with the intent of making a complete organism. Therapeutic cloning is performed to harvest stem cells for use in medical treatment, such as cloning organs for transplant. There are benefits and consequences for each process that have sparked ethical and scientific debate over the years. With the help of advancements in technology in the future, cloning can provide medical breakthroughs.
To create a clone is to create identical copy. This imprecise definition can be tied to a number of creatures and processes in biology, those including, mono zygote (identical) twins (when one fertilized egg splits into two embryos in the first week of fertilization) , horticulture (a section of plant being implanted in a different place to create a decedent of the original plant) , and parthenogenesis (the method of asexual reproduction by females.) The creatures and processes listed above all fall under the category clones and cloning, but the difference between these and the clones and cloning processes normally referenced in, for example, science fiction, is where they occur. The examples listed are naturally occurring clones and cloning techniques, regarded as biology clones, whereas the other type of clones and cloning occurs artificially or in laborites. This genre of cloning is cloning in biotechnology. This cloning specifically refers to three established techniques: reproductive cloning, therapeutic cloning, and gene cloning. From observing the biological, naturally occurring cloning, scientists were able to create methods for created clones that are created in the laboratory intentionally. Although clones created through biotechnology are commonly associated with fantasy and science fiction, cloning animals with biotechnology is no fiction. There are even examples of animals being somewhat successfully cloned by scientists such as the lionized Dolly the Sheep. This type of technology even has the potential to clone humans, or extinct animals. Even though scientist have advanced technology and knowledge on cloning, the topic of whether or not this technology should be used is controversial. Despite the controversy and p...
Stem cells offer exciting promise for future therapies, but significant technical hurdles remain that will only be overcome through years of intensive research. Stem Cells have the incredible potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. Scientists primarily work with two kinds of stem cells from animals and humans. The embryonic stem cells and the non-embryonic stem cells. Stem cells are the cells from which all other cells originate. In a human embryo, a large portion of the embryo’s cells are stem cells. These stem cells can be used for cell-based therapies. Cell-Based therapies are treatments in which stem cells are induced to differentiate into the specific cell type required to repair damaged or destroyed cells or tissues. Stem cells are versatile and offer the possibility to treat a number of diseases including Alzheimer’s, stroke, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc. The problem is that for the process of embryonic stem cell research and embryo will be destroyed if used. This raises a moral issue and questions of whether stem cell research is unethical or not.
Cloning is a process by which genetically equal organisms are created with the same DNA. In simplest terms, clones are like twins born at different times. This procedure poses various dangers to society and humankind. One of the greatest threats this procedure creates is among
1) Robertson, John A. “Human Cloning and the Challenge of Regulation,” The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 339, no. 2 (July 9, 1998), pp. 119-122.
What are the principle, ethical issues and experimental procedures used in genetic engineering and cloning? Should Cloning be allowed to continue?
Advances in modern medical science in the near future are dependent upon the advances in methods and procedures that, by today’s standards, are considered to be taboo and dangerous. These methods will not only revolutionize the field of medicine, but they will be the forerunners to a whole new way of treating people. For these advances to take place, several key steps need to be taken both medically and politically. In this paper I will attempt to explain what methods and procedures will be the future of modern medicine, how these methods and procedures can benefit mankind, and finally what changes will be needed in the fields of medicine and politics. First, I’ll attempt to explain which methods and procedures will be the future of modern medicine.