CGS-authored
Oversight concerns shadow new technology
Rapid advances in cloning technology have prompted new warnings of lax oversight in one of the most controversial -- and confusing -- realms of science.
Nearly everyone agrees that attempting to clone a human would be unethical, yet reproductive cloning is still not a crime under federal statutes, and some analysts worry that bans in California and 10 other states may not be effective.
The concerns gained new relevance after the recent announcement that scientists in South Korea had greatly reduced the inefficiencies in the cloning process. The technique, known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT, was used to create 11 human embryonic stem cell lines genetically matched to patients who had donated their DNA. That was accomplished by inserting the patients' DNA into the nucleus of human eggs -- eggs that had already had their original DNA removed.
Previously, stem cells had to be derived from surplus embryos donated by patients undergoing in-vitro fertilization procedures. Scientists say the cloned stem cells may be one of the most powerful tools of regenerative medicine --...
Rapid advances in cloning technology have prompted new warnings of lax oversight in one of the most controversial -- and confusing -- realms of science.
Nearly everyone agrees that attempting to clone a human would be unethical, yet reproductive cloning is still not a crime under federal statutes, and some analysts worry that bans in California and 10 other states may not be effective.
The concerns gained new relevance after the recent announcement that scientists in South Korea had greatly reduced the inefficiencies in the cloning process. The technique, known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT, was used to create 11 human embryonic stem cell lines genetically matched to patients who had donated their DNA. That was accomplished by inserting the patients' DNA into the nucleus of human eggs -- eggs that had already had their original DNA removed.
Previously, stem cells had to be derived from surplus embryos donated by patients undergoing in-vitro fertilization procedures. Scientists say the cloned stem cells may be one of the most powerful tools of regenerative medicine --...