Cloning Used Create Embryonic Stem

Cloning Used Create Embryonic Stem - Scientists have for the first time used a cloning technique to get tailor-made embryonic stem cells to grow in human egg cells.  The development in New York marks a landmark in stem cell research, according to experts in the field, but also represents a potential new flashpoint for opponents of such controversial cell research.


The researchers were trying to prove it is possible to use a cloning technology called somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT, to make embryonic stem cells that match a patient's DNA.

The achievement, published on Wednesday in the journal Nature, is significant because such patient-specific cells potentially can be transplanted to replace damaged cells in people with diabetes and other diseases without rejection by the immune system.

This technique could ignite new controversy because some opponents consider it to be cloning, which they fiercely oppose.

"This paper will be seen as significant both by those who are trying to use SCNT to produce human patient-specific embryonic stem cell lines and by those who oppose human 'cloning' experiments," said Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, a division head at Britain's National Institute for Medical Research.

Read More at: telegraph