For decades, cloning has been a controversial topic for scientists and the general public. It refers to the creation of an exact genetic copy of an individual or organism through sexual or artificial methods.
Figure 1: Image of cloned beagle puppies in 2002 in Seoul, Korea
Since the first successful cloning in 1996, when scientists of the Roslin Institute in Scotland successfully cloned a female Finn-Dorset sheep, cloning technology has been rapidly advanced and implemented in studies. Cloning opens up possibilities for scientific research and applications to better humans and our environment, and new industries globally, such as biotechnology, have invested large funds in attempting to bring forth cloning notions.
The most notable and used procedure throughout the cloning industry is the somatic cell nuclear transfer technique. It is often proven to be the most efficient and has nearly a 5% cloning efficiency rate, several times more successful than that of other cloning procedures, such as artificial embryo twinning.
Figure 2: Image of Somatic cell nuclear transfer experiment in Harvard
The somatic cell nuclear transfer procedure mainly involves removing DNA from a donor cell and transferring it into an empty DNA-removed zygote (unfertilized egg cell). The sample DNA cell is sampled from different cells around the body in the past, with skin cells and bone marrow. Through this process, scientists are able to stimulate the fertilization of a normal gamete and, via a series of eclectic pulses and chemical reactions, cause the zygote to perform meiosis. If cell division goes well, the zygote will eventually develop into an offspring that is genetically identical to the donor of the sample cell.
Uses and Benefits of Cloning
Firstly, cloning could be used therapeutically to help humans create new embryonic stem cells efficiently and quickly. Otherwise known as pluripotent cells, embryonic stem cells have the ability to differentiate into any cell type desired by the human body. In the case of an accident or illness where emergency skin cells or organ cells are needed to regenerate tissues, cloning can result in a quicker recovery and replacement of damaged/diseased cells. With no major repercussions identified as of the modern day proving that cloning would destroy or damage the human body, cloning is definitely a solution moving forward for effective treatment.
Figure 3: Cloning of embryonic stem cells. The figure shows a human egg before nuclear extraction and fusion with a skin cell.
Additionally, cloning could also be used reproductively to create gametes. With countless couples facing infertility, the creation of sex cells from the nucleus of typical somatic cells could pose a solution. For example, if a male partner in a couple was to have a low sperm count, his somatic cells could be cloned to conceive a child with his complete genetic profile.
Other applications of cloning technology include agriculture. With livestock supply often reaching new lows and becoming a relevant problem, an option would be to clone livestock and breed desirable traits on a large scale. This enables humans to control livestock numbers and breed desired advantageous traits.
The problem
While cloning has been used in recent days for many purposes: to clone new organs, cells and tissues for humans as a treatment and solution to diseases and illnesses; however, human cloning also raises ethical concerns that warrant thoughtful discussion.
One major point of concern would be the violation of individualism and uniqueness. Creating a carbon copy of a sample would undermine the diversity of life and raise questions about personal identity. In spite of such cloning programs only being implemented on animals, cloning would go against the nature of life and diminish the notion of individuality.
Another concern about cloning is the risk of exploitation and objectification of clone organisms. If cloning were to eventually become part of the commercial industry or business facet, the creation and selling of clones would lead to the commodification of organisms, treating them as mere products rather than life and value.
Moreover, cloning would question the morals of basic welfare. While cloning might be effective in addressing arising issues, the procedure still undoubtedly has high failure rates and has not had much history of being efficient. Therefore, the risk of cloning organisms that suffer from abnormalities or complications would be increasingly high. To respect the lives and well-being of cloned organisms, such experiments might lead to damaging and excruciating pain.
Figure 4: Failed cow gene cloning experiment in Jouy-en-Josas, France in 2013
Works Cited
Fell, A. (2016). Cow Gene Study Shows Why Most Clones Fail. [online] UC Davis. Available at: https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/cow-gene-study-shows-why-most-clones-fail [Accessed 19 Jun. 2024].
harvardgazette (2011). Stem cell lessons. [online] Harvard Gazette. Available at: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/10/stem-cell-lessons/ [Accessed 19 Jun. 2024].
Nationalgeographic.org. (2023). Cloning. [online] Available at: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/cloning/ [Accessed 19 Jun. 2024].
Sample, I. (2013). Human embryonic stem cells created from adult tissue for first time. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/may/15/human-embryonic-stem-cells-adult-tissue [Accessed 19 Jun. 2024].
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