Scientific advances on Cloning - Research Paper Example

Dolly, a Scientific First The birth of a sheep named Dolly in 1996 was a milestone in the history of scientific research. Dolly was not born the natural way but was cloned by using a cell extracted from another adult sheep. Mammals had been cloned before but only by using embryonic, not adult cells. The technological advancement proved by the existence of Dolly represented major medical progress, a new method for curing illness. The event also caused great apprehension from those worried it may mean a future populated by human clones. The questions concerning human cloning have been a troubling topic of a legal, scientific, ethical and philosophical nature throughout all segments of society. Some have suggested that the “fear of the unknown” aspect of cloning mammals, though understandable, is largely unfounded. The potential benefits are numerous and outweigh the concerns brought forth by those who don’t fully understand the process or implications of cloning. Laws and regulations related to this new science will be implemented to address the ethical implications but it’s impossible to stop scientific exploration. The birth of Dolly the sheep represents the birth of a new, exciting scientific method that will change the course of medical history for the better. The Scottish scientist Ian Wilmut of the Roslin Institute, along with his colleagues, announced on February 23, 1996 they had cloned a sheep by using a ground-technique. The method involved transplanting genetic matter from an adult sheep into a hollowed-out egg, an egg that had its nucleus removed. “The researchers fused the adult udder cell with an (egg) that was ready to be fertilized, but taken from a different sheep. The scientists had previously removed the nucleus from the (egg) using an electrical current to fuse it with the udder cell.” (Barnes, 2012). This sequence instigated cell division. The resulting embryo was then implanted into another sheep who acted as the surrogate-mother. The secret to this method’s success was making the nucleus of the donor’s udder cell “silent” so it would quit performing as it was originally intended and then reprogrammed it to act as an embryonic cell. That embryo would become Dolly; a sheep with three “mothers” involved but only related biologically to the one that donated an udder cell. Dolly shared all of the udder donor’s chromosomes but none of the host egg cell’s chromosomes. Consequently, Dolly is an exact genetic reproduction of the donor-cell sheep. Previous cloning experiments that used embryonic cells created a being that was the identical offspring of two parents instead of being an exact genetic duplicate of just one adult. This is what made Dolly special. Science successful copied a mammal from one parent for the first time. For nearly half a century, the system of relocating a nucleus from a somatic egg cell using nuclei from non-human embryonic cell continued. It was demonstrated that, in theory, up until the birth of Dolly that genetic material contained in somatic cells could maintain the potential to guide development of a healthy and fertile adult mammal. Scientists had thought once cellular differentiation materializes, this procedure would be reversible, able to change into another type of cell. However, until Dolly was born, the ability to do so was unproved. “The demonstration that nuclei from cells derived from an adult animal could be reprogrammed, or that the full genetic complement of such a cell could be reactivated well into the chronological life of the cell, is what sets the results of this experiment apart from prior work” (Di Bernadino, 1997). From the mid-‘80’s scientists frequently cloned mammals, specifically cattle and sheep, from embryonic cells but the cloning of Dolly was the first time an animal developed to maturity by using a somatic cell nucleus from a single animal. This innovative method of cloning included three new developments: “the replacement of sexual procreation with asexual replication of an existing set of genes; the ability to predetermine the genes of a child; and the ability to create many genetically identical offspring” (Di Bernadino, 1997). The research involved in cloning animals’ offers information useful for the medical and biotechnological sciences. Among the goals of this cloning is to produce livestock that are genetically identical for research purposes, to have the ability to quickly reproduce farm animals possessing desirable traits and to develop a greater generation efficiency. Cloning is a scientific advancement that most perceive as futuristic and somewhat surreal concept. The possibilities surrounding this new science are just beginning to be discovered. However, concerns regarding the moral implications of the research and its applications have been raised and should be thoroughly addressed. The freedom to conduct research in the pursuit of knowledge responsibly and ethically is supported by both scientists and the general public. Scientific investigation has always been encouraged in the U.S. because, arguably, people’s lives are enhanced by scientific advances but however vital new discovers are to the well-being of society, science is not necessarily free from scrutiny and limitations based on prevailing moral and ethical standards. The moral concerns regarding the cloning of animals, especially the implications involving the consequences of human cloning, are legitimate. Throughout history scientists have been afforded the freedom to explore innovations essentially at will without great amounts of scrutiny by the public or elected officials. The past half century or so, the public has increased the demand for regulations of scientific methods and techniques in addition to answers for researcher’s motives. This is due to two reasons, scientific research is publicly funded which makes answerable to the public and the moral implications of research affect everyone. Whether or not a person is opposed to the concept of imposing limitations on scientific research, the notion of cloning any creature could be a cause for some questions regarding intention. Most all can agree though that experimentation on and with humans via the somatic cell nuclear transfer method is not without great ethical implications and must be heavily regulated and monitored if society allows it at all. It’s been 16 years since Dolly was born. Scientists have successfully cloned 10 more types of mammals using the somatic method. Dogs, cats, cows, pigs, goats, rabbits, mice, rats, mules and horses have been cloned but nothing from the primate family which includes apes, monkeys and humans. Ian Wilmut thinks it could be many more decades before that occurs. The scientific-based explanation is the eggs of primates are more likely to be damaged in the cloning process than are the eggs of other mammals. The social reason is another matter. “The destruction of the embryo to harvest those cells is strongly opposed by right-to-life advocates.” (Weise, 2006). If the barrier to cloning primates can be overcome in the laboratory, scientists are optimistic they can create a human clone then remove stem cells while it’s in the embryonic stage so as to produce “rejection-free” transplant organs, a potentially historic medical advancement. According to Stanford University Professor William Hurlbut, “Dolly heralded an emerging technology that could have a fundamental impact on human existence.” (Weise, 2006). In their efforts to produce organs that will not be rejected by host tissues, scientists are attempting to genetically alter pigs in hopes that their organs could be used by humans in need of a transplant. Scientists are also experimenting with the genetics of cows, cloning them in an effort to create antibodies for human use. These antibodies would resist deadly infections that are now considered untreatable and fight the spread of cancer, possibly eliminating many types of cancer. According to Wilmut, “There would be a huge potential benefit in having human antibodies; there’s a great potential need for them in diagnostics” (Weise, 2006). Maybe the most important future discoveries will involve transforming one type of cell into another without the need for cloning, an idea that is already being investigated in the lab. The concept of cloning and the acceptance of this new technologies vary from country to country. In the U.S. crops are cloned and genetically modified practically without regulatory control although there is significant social movement to require stricter guidelines. The U.S. is late to the game as far as animal cloning and does not support the cloning of human embryos at all. Human embryo research in the UK is allowed but tightly regulated. As opposed to the U.S., genetically modified crops are less accepted in the UK. Miracles of medicine such as antibiotics and heart transplants are commonplace today when they did not exist not that many years ago. Cloning is the latest scientific miracle and the benefits from this controversial technology, like the others, will be taken for granted in the years to come. Growing rejection-free tissue and organs in the laboratory will become routine. Some insist scientists are “playing God” by manipulating genetics but the same could be said for life-saving techniques such as CPR. Dolly the sheep will always be remembered as the first mammal cloned by using the cell of another adult mammal, a momentous achievement that started a new science which will benefit mankind in the near and far future. Works Cited Weise, Elizabeth. “Dolly was world’s hello to cloning’s possibilities.” USA TODAY July 4, 2006. Web. November 18, 2012 http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/genetics/2006-07-04-dolly-anniversary_x.htm Barnes, Deborah Ph.D. “Research in the News: Creating a Cloned Sheep Named Dolly.” National Institutes of Health. 2012. Web. November 18, 2012 http://science.education.nih.gov/home2.nsf/Educational+ResourcesTopicsGenetics/BC5086E34E4DBA0085256CCD006F01CB Di Bernadino, M.A. “Genomic Potential of Differentiated Cells.” New York: Columbia University Press. 1997 Read More