What are therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning?
Therapeutic cloning, or somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), is the cloning of cells. This involves removing the nucleus from an unfertilized egg and replacing it with the nucleus of a “somatic cell” (an adult skin cell, for example). Given the proper signals, this single cell can be tricked into starting to divide, much like an embryonic stem cell. For example, SCNT could be used to create a line of embryonic stem cells genetically identical to the donor with health problems. Healthy versions of the sick cells could be engineered and used to treat the sick donor without risk of their body rejecting the cells. The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) supports ongoing research into SCNT and has endorsed legislation that would allow such research to flourish. Until recently, nuclear transfer or therapeutic cloning was the only way that scientists imagined it would be possible to develop patient-matched cell lines. However, since iPS technology has made it possible to derive p
