The matter of cloning has been very controversial ever since the idea was suggested and even more so with advancements in cloning. There are many advantages and disadvantages of cloning, however cloning comes both naturally and artificially. Natural cloning is represented in identical twins or asexual reproduction. In comparison, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute, there are three types of artificial cloning; gene, reproductive, and therapeutic cloning (Cloning Fact Sheet). With the many different types of cloning, many may wonder “What Variance of Cloning Should be Acceptable in the Future and Why?” I have concurred that cloning should only be for therapeutic purposes. Scientifically, therapeutic cloning is the most beneficial type of cloning as the process is less controversial than reproductive cloning, treats Parkinson’s disease, and has the ability to circumvent immune rejection of organs and cure diseases.
Therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning are similar in many ways. According to the National Institutes of Health, they both use somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) which “involves the transfer of the nucleus of a donor cell into an oocyte or early embryo from which the chromosomes have been removed” (Therapeutic cloning: promises and issues). A donor egg will be replaced with the nucleus of a somatic (body) cell and is subsequently allowed to develop until a culture of embryonic stem cells can be created from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst (Stocum). One egg can create multiple stem cells, pluripotent embryonic stem cells, that are used by therapeutic cloning to create skin, cartilage, bones, tissues, organs, and more, as it is “the permitted creation of cloned human tissues for surgical transplant” (Definition of ‘Therapeutic Cloning). Contrarily, while reproductive cloning also uses SCNT, the somatic cell egg “is allowed to develop into an early-stage embryo in the test-tube and is then implanted into the womb of an adult female” (Cloning Fact Sheet). The adult female will birth the clone but it will have the exact DNA of the somatic cell that was inserted. Benefits of reproductive cloning include being able to study more about a specific animal or human through the clone with medical experiments and tests. Despite these benefits, reproductive cloning would decrease individuality within society, provide no health benefits, and the scientific process is too complicated with the involvement of a surrogate. Therapeutic cloning is capable of providing superior benefits than reproductive cloning such as the ability to treat Parkinson’s disease, along with the capability to increase success with organ transplants.
Therapeutic cloning has not been successful in humans yet, although the success of treating Parkinson’s disease in mice leads the path for a hopeful future. The Parkinson’s Foundation explains that Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominantly dopamine-producing (“dopaminergic”) neurons in a specific area of the brain called the substantia nigra, and induces symptoms such as tremors, bradykinesia, limb rigidity, and balance problems (What is Parkinson’s). Lorenzo Studer, M.D., and Head of the Stem Cell and Tumor Biology Laboratory at the Sloan-Kettering Institute, Viviane Tabar, M.D., Neurosurgeon, and stem cell scientist at the Sloan-Kettering Institute, and scientists at the Riken Institute in Kobe, Japan led an experiment in mice using SCNT to yield the missing neurons in Parkinson’s disease (Therapeutic Cloning Treats Parkinson’s Disease In Mice). The experiment was successful and “the mice that received neurons derived from individually matched stem cell lines exhibited neurological improvement” (Therapeutic Cloning Treats Parkinson’s Disease In Mice). According to the National Institutes of Health, there are about half a million people in the United States diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and none of the current drugs today are a cure to the disease, nor slow it down from progressing significantly (NIH Fact Sheets — Parkinson’s Disease). In the future, therapeutic cloning can act as a cure, or a significant process to slow the development of Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, relieving millions.
Because therapeutic cloning uses human embryonic and somatic cells, it will have the same genetic makeup as the original cell, being a perfect match for the donor if a transplant is needed. In Cloning Trevor, a story about therapeutic cloning research, Trevor battles a fatal condition called X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). Since Trevor was diagnosed early, therapeutic cloning was an option for him; his family sought out Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), the only group in the United States openly pursuing human therapeutic cloning, hoping this “experimental treatment using embryonic stem cells could be developed to create a transplant that Trevor’s body would not reject” (Spriggs). Unfortunately, the eggs lost their membranes when trying to fuse the egg and the somatic cell and Trevor did not receive this transplant. If this had worked, there could have been a high chance of circumventing immune rejection as the embryo had Trevor’s exact skin cells. In the future, with more testing and research, therapeutic cloning should be able to form perfect matches for the donor of the somatic cell. Having more successful organ, tissue, or skin transplants will increase the human survival rate as more people will get a second chance at life. The American Transplant Foundation reveals that currently, almost 115,000 people are on the transplant list waiting for an organ in the United States, and about one name is added to the list every twenty minutes (Facts and Myths about Transplant). Therapeutic cloning provides more donations of organs without needing the death of someone to achieve it. In the future, therapeutic cloning can be used as a cure to several diseases because it has the potential to become any part of the body.
Some may have concerns about SCNT as they believe that stem cells can lead to cancer cells. It is known that stem cells are able to be produced into any bodily cell, which is why they are key in the scientific process in therapeutic cloning; but if this is true, can they possibly form cancer cells? Some researchers attest that “breast or prostate cancer can return in other organs, indicating the cancer had metastasized before it was originally detected [and] Cancerous stem cells may be the reason for this” (Can Stem Cells Cause and Cure Cancer?). Harvard University professor Kevin Eggan explains that “they have a propensity to acquire the same kind of genetic mutations found in human cancers” (Begley). Though it is true that stem cells have the potential to form mutations, they are biologically different from cancer cells and cannot be attributed to cancerous mutations. They may be able to form cancer cells if that is what the goal is, but stem cells will produce the material of the DNA inserted in them. Because scientists and researchers are aware of the possibility of this occurrence, they are able to monitor the somatic cells for any cancer-like symptoms.
To sum up, therapeutic cloning is the most advantageous type of artificial cloning because it can offer many beneficial opportunities in the scientific and health fields. Therapeutic cloning does not require a surrogate mother in order to be done, and provides numerous health and medical benefits while reproductive cloning does not. Furthermore, it offers a treatment in Parkinson’s disease to mice, which allows for great potential for humans in the future; likewise, it has the ability to treat many neurodegenerative diseases in humans or animals, and can improve the chances of finding a matching organ transplant. To encompass the benefits of therapeutic cloning and answer the question, “What Variance of Cloning Should Be Accepted in the Future and Why?”, a solution is to spread awareness of the scientific benefits of therapeutic cloning throughout schools, and integrate it within science education. Our world’s future scientists will all take their first steps in school; therefore, educating our students about the future of scientific possibilities and processes will ensure that breakthroughs, like cloning, will only be used for beneficial therapeutic purposes.
References:
Begley, Sharon. “Cancer-Causing DNA Found in Stem Cells Used in Some Clinical Trials.” STAT, STAT, 5 May 2017, www.statnews.com/2017/04/26/stem-cells-cancer-mutations/.
“Can Stem Cells Cause and Cure Cancer?” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 12 Aug. 2015, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150812151249.htm.
“Cloning Fact Sheet.” National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), www.genome.gov/25020028/cloning-fact-sheet/.
“Definition of ‘Therapeutic Cloning.” Take Heed/Pay Heed Definition and Meaning | Collins English Dictionary, www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/therapeutic-cloning.
“Facts and Myths about Transplant.” American Transplant Foundation, Anastasia Henry www.americantransplantfoundation.org/about-transplant/facts-and-myths/.
“NIH Fact Sheets — Parkinson’s Disease.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://report.nih.gov/NIHfactsheets/ViewFactSheet.aspx?csid=109
Stocum, David. “Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 Nov. 2016, www.britannica.com/science/somatic-cell-nuclear-transfer.
“Therapeutic cloning: promises and issues.” National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2323472/
“Therapeutic Cloning Treats Parkinson’s Disease In Mice.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 24 Mar. 2008, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080323210229.htm.
“What Is Parkinson’s?” Parkinson’s Foundation, 9 Jan. 2019, www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/what-is-parkinsons.
