Cloning Stem Cells

Researchers recently made a tremendous advance toward the production of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) using a cloning technique similar to the one that created Dolly the sheep sixteen years ago. Since scientists discovered a way to turn ordinary skin cells into what are known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) interest in hESCs had been waning. iPS cells behave somewhat like hESCs, however, it’s been shown that iPS cells tend to accumulate mutations and abnormal gene activations as they multiply. So the quest continued.

In 2007, embryonic stem cells were created using monkey egg cells and the Dolly cloning method. In this latest research, the technique was applied to human egg cells fused with skin cells to produce colonies of hESCs that can theoretically turn into any type of tissue needed. The process was successful on about half of the donated eggs, and some of the resulting hESCs have been able to be turned into healthy tissue.

This work may someday make it possible for new tissues and organs to be generated using a patient’s own cells, effectively eliminating any risk of rejection.