A new stem cell discovery has reawakened controversy about human cloning though technical challenges mean scientists are far from being able to create human babies as in Michael Bay's 2005 sci-fi flick "The Island." Not that they would even want to. "Nobody in their right mind would want to do that," said John Gearhart, the director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, who was not involved in the study. And indeed, the research wasn't conducted with the idea of creating cloned mini-me's in mind. Instead, scientists attempting to treat diseases of the cell's powerhouse, the mitochondria, refined the technique, which is the same one used to create the cloned sheep Dolly in 1996. [5 Wild Stem Cell Discoveries] But the parallels between the animal-cloning procedure and the new human one have triggered concern. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) swiftly issued a statement condemning the research, both on the grounds that embryos were destroyed in the research process and over the concern that the full reproductive cloning of humans is on its way. "They or others may be close to being able to develop cloned human embryos to the fetal stage and then beyond," … Continue reading →

Developing human embryos, nucleated by somatic cell nuclear transfer, pictured in their third day of development. Biologists at Oregon Health & Science University have created human stem cells using cloning techniques. Photograph: Oregon Health & Science University/Reuters Divide and conquer: a clear legal framework for stem cell research is long overdue. Photograph: Colin Anderson This week brought the news that it is now possible to create tailored embryonic stem cells using cell cloning techniques, bringing the promise of personalised medicine one step closer. Media have confused cellular or therapeutic cloning with people or reproductive cloning, leading many to groundlessly worry about an unregulated Orwellian future. In actuality, human clones already exist, even in Ireland: they are called identical twins and there is consensus among researchers and clinicians that an endeavour to artificially twin people is not only morally repugnan t but also of little scientific or medical interest. The focus rather should be on our lack of biomedical legislation and the potential danger this vacuum creates for patients to be misled, scammed or have their lives put at risk. Power of petri dish The latest breakthrough means it will be easier to develop better drugs and understand many human diseases … Continue reading →