The Pros And Cons Of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

A somatic cell nuclear transfer, which is also commonly referred to as a SCNT, is the process in which the result is considered a clone. This process includes multiple steps, one in which being the transfer of a somatic cell’s nucleus into an enucleated egg cell. This results in an embryo, which has a variety of uses. If the embryo is used for it’s stem cells, then the outcome will be a genetically identical organ instead of a full clone. This type of cloning could have many practical applications in the future. If the embryo is instead inserted into a uterus, the embryo will grow into a full clone. This type of cloning is called reproductive cloning and both types of cloning have sparked controversy among many due to a variety of ethical

This tadpole was reported to have developed normally. In 1975 SCNT was again used to create a mammalian embryo from an enucleated rabbit egg and a rabbit nucleus. The embryo resulting from this experiment was not placed into a womb, so it never developed into a full rabbit. In 1985 SCNT was used by scientists to create three lambs. The lambs were made by using nuclei from early embryonic cells, not adult cells. This experiment was considered successful because this was the first time a mammal was successfully cloned using SCNT. In 1997 a primate was cloned using SCNT to fuse embryonic cells and enucleated primate egg cells. The result, after implantation into a womb, was primates. Also in 1997, a sheep was created using SCNT. This experiment was significant because she was made from genetically engineered cells with “factor nine”. After birth, this cloned, transgenic sheep produced the same “factor nine” proteins in her milk. There could be many applications for similar types of cloning in the future of medicine. From 1998 to 2000, mice, a cow, pigs, and a goat were all cloned using SCNT. In 2007, somatic stem cells were created from a primate through SCNT by fusing an adult monkey nucleus and an enucleated egg cell. This is one of the first examples of successful therapeutic cloning and led many scientists to wonder about the possibility of therapeutic cloning in humans. In 2003 a human cloning company, Clonaid, claimed to have produced the first human clone named Eve. There has been no DNA evidence to support this statement and many have concluded that this is a false claim. In 2013, OHSU was able to turn human skin cells into embryonic stem cells, which was a huge cloning