Obtaining stem cells from cloned human embryos raised great expectations – Human – Science and technology

Optimism and expectations of new treatments were sparked by the news of the first-ever recovery of stem cells from cloned human embryos.

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Stem cells can be used to create any type of cell in the body.

The scientific journal Cell reported on the discovery of scientists from the American University of Oregon. At the same time, he renewed discussions about the danger of human cloning. The Catholic Church protested, and some of their colleagues also called the Oregon pioneers’ actions irresponsible.

According to a report in the journal Cell, Oregon scientists obtained stem cells from six embryos created from donated eggs. Scientists transplanted genetic material from an adult cell into an unfertilized egg, whose own DNA was removed. They thus developed human embryonic stem cells. The head of the research team, Shoukhrat Mitalipov, said that the success did not come from a single technical innovation, but from the revision of a whole series of process steps. He noted that it took six years for his team to achieve the goal, after first doing the same with monkey embryos.

Many renowned scientists marked the information about the success as a landmark in the very long road to transplant tissue. A breakthrough may lead to the treatment of some hitherto incurable diseases.

By eliminating the need for human embryos, the ethical obstacle is removed, and by destroying the original DNA, the problems with the body’s rejecting immune reaction are overcome. Scientific experiments with stem cells and their developmental variants can thus be significantly expanded in order to replace damaged or destroyed cells in heart diseases, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or, for example, spinal cord injury.