Stem Cells: Cloning
Recently the British government has allowed research on human embryos to obtain stem cells. Usually use a process similar to that used in animal cloning:
- It takes an egg to be extracted nuclear material. The nucleus is removed from an adult cell of the individual to be cloned.
- Transferring the nucleus of an adult cell taken from the egg
- From here we have an artificial zygote may, after embryonic development, grow into a cloned individual, genetically identical to the guy who pulled the adult cell.
If in the early stages of embryo development extract cells from the blastocyst inner cell mass and we specialize, we could obtain any tissue for transplant.
Adult stem cells
In an adult there are tissues in which some cells are actively dividing, but not in others. Among those who fall are the bone marrow and skin, they found stem cells in bone marrow and skin. These cells reproduce and generate specialized cells in blood and skin respectively. Other tissues have also been found specialized stem cells that can reproduce and generate specialized tissues and only those tissues. These specialized stem cells are scarce and difficult to isolate.
At first it was thought that the specialized stem cells could only specialized cells of the same general type. However it has been observed that these cells can generate cells with a different from the original. So neural stem cells of the spinal cord have produced various types of blood cells. Studies in rats have obtained liver cells from stem cells demédula cord. Each day brought to light new examples of specialized stem cells that produce specialized cells different than expected. This shows that stem cells present in the adult are much more flexible than previously thought.
From this there big expectations of innovative therapies. It seems that adult stem cells have great potential and perhaps slightly better than embryonic stem cells because it can be from a person’s own cells and, therefore, with the same genetics. This solves also the serious ethical problems of manipulating and destroying embryos.
Adult stem cell research
On the other hand, we could obtain a person’s own stem cells and specialized adult also for other tissues or organs needed to rebuild. A good supply of own stem cells could be obtained from umbilical cord at delivery and stored frozen.
Stem cells are collected from an adult. Another possibility is to store frozen baby’s umbilical cord at birth that can serve as very valid supply of stem cells.
Stem cells are cultured in appropriate media to obtain the needed tissue.
The individual patient is transplanted the cultured tissue or cells necessary to regenerate the diseased organ.