Scientists welcome cloning

Nov 15 2007 by Graeme Whitfield, The Journal

SCIENTISTS in the North have welcomed news that a cloned embryo has been created from an adult monkey.

The advances reported by American scientists pave the way for major advances in stem cell research, the experts at the North-East England Stem Cell Institute in Newcastle said last night.

Before now, no one has provably succeeded in cloning viable primate embryos using the “Dolly the Sheep” method of transferring DNA from an adult cell.

But the American team not only created surviving embryos, but generated two culture lines of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from them. ESCs extracted from early-stage embryos have the potential to develop into virtually any kind of body tissue.

Scientists believe they could be used in future to treat degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Type 1 diabetes, without any risk of a graft being rejected by the patient’s immune system. Human ESCs would also be invaluable to scientists investigating the causes of disease.

The US scientists led by Dr Shoukhrat Mitalipov, from Oregon Health and Science University in Beaverton, produced the embryos and stem cells from skin cells donated by 14 rhesus macaque monkeys.

A joint statement from Professor Alison Murdoch and Dr Mary Herbert at the North-East England Stem Cell Institute based in Newcastle, said: “The paper provides the first convincing evidence that nuclear reprogramming is feasible in primates.

“This is a very exciting development which takes us several steps closer to the production of patient-specific stem cells to treat life-limiting conditions such as Parkinson’s, motor neurone disease, Huntington’s disease and cystic fibrosis. By providing proof of principle in a primate model, Dr Mitalipov and his colleagues have made an important step towards realising the therapeutic potential of nuclear transfer in humans.”

Although many animals have been cloned in this fashion since the birth of Dolly, the technique has never before been shown to work for primates.

The US breakthrough was due to be published in a forthcoming edition of the journal Nature. But amid growing excitement and speculation, the journal decided to release the details last night.

Cloning monkey embryos brings scientists closer to having the ability to create cloned human babies.

The vast majority of experts in the field are 100% opposed to reproductive cloning, saying it would ethically unacceptable and serve no purpose.

Dr David King, Director of Human Genetics Alert, which opposes all forms of human cloning, said: “This research is a waste of money, because for financial, ethical and technical reasons therapeutic cloning will never be a useful medical treatment.”