By Nick Nelson
South Korean scientists have successfully cloned human embryos, facilitating the development of saving medical procedures, but also rekindling the heated debate about the ethics of human cloning.
These scientists stressed that their research is not intended to create babies, but rather for 'therapeutic cloning,' which provides the stem cells necessary for cloning human organs and tissues that could save lives.
Dr. Moon Shin-yong and Dr. Woo Suk Hwang of Seoul National University conducted the research that was published today in the journal Science.
Human cloning is illegal in South Korea, and punishable by up to 10 years in prison, except in cases of cloning for therapeutic reasons.
Supporters of therapeutic cloning believe an organ cloned from a person needing a replacement is less likely to be rejected by his or her body''s immune system than an organ from a donor. This natural rejection has affected organ recipients for decades and new developments in cloning could aid victims of Parkinson''s disease and cancer.
'It''s something that''s never been done before,' said Michael Stark, BYU assistant professor of developmental biology. 'It''s been done with animals, but never with humans.'
Stark said the South Korean scientists made two innovations that aided their research.
'They used very freshly harvested eggs, and they were much more careful in handling the genetic material,' he said.
But Stark said the ability to help stem cells develop into a specific tissue and then integrate them into an adult''s body is still years away.
'They''re not at a point where they can use these cells for transplantation,' he said. 'But they study the cells and see how they behave.'
The ethical debate raised when Dolly the cloned sheep excited advocates of human cloning and their opponents in the late ''90s is likely to heat up with this new development.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, is a longtime proponent of research involving human cloning for medical purposes. His Web site states 'Senator Hatch is at the forefront in the advocacy of therapeutic regenerative medicine (stem cell research).'
The Bush administration, however, is opposed to all types of research involving the cloning of human tissue, including therapeutic research, and in December urged the United Nations to support a 'global and comprehensive ban' on the practice.
Last year, the House of Representatives voted to issue a universal ban on human cloning, but the Senate deliberated over possible exceptions to the ban and stalled the bill.
Therapeutic cloning relies on culling stem cells from a human embryo. These stem cells are the building blocks of human tissue, and when removed from the embryo, can be made to develop into specific types of human tissue.
Though scientists had successfully cloned embryos of other mammals, this is the first time a human embryo has been successfully cloned. The South Korean scientists collected 242 eggs from 16 female donors and selected 176 to use for the study.
The research was published today in Science, written for geneticists.