By Julia Chaley, '24
Cloning is a relatively new topic increasingly being integrated into the current STEM conversation. Cloning is attributed to several scientific breakthroughs in genealogy, animal reproduction, tissue, and cells. While scientists debate the ethical and moral concerns cloning raises, there is no doubt that it has helped our world advance.
Since clones are exact genetic copies, every bit of their DNA is identical. There are three types of artificial cloning: Gene Cloning, Reproductive Cloning, and Therapeutic Cloning, each completed with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Gene Cloning produces copies of genes or segments of particular DNA extracted from an organism. The DNA containing the subject's genes is split using restriction enzymes. These pieces are put into cloning vectors such as bacterial plasmids or bacteriophages, which move the recombinant DNA to host cells, such as the bacterium E. coli. The recombinant DNA goes through replication inside the host cell, meaning a bacterial host produces a colony of cells. Different procedures may be used to create such colonies. Gene cloning facilitates DNA sequencing, enabling large quantities of the desired protein product such as human insulin to be produced. Gene Cloning is a unique procedure because of its particular process, unlike Reproductive Cloning and Therapeutic Cloning.
Reproductive Cloning produces copies of entire biotic things such as goats or rabbits. Each newly synthesized animal is an exact clone of its original. These new clones contain identical sets of DNA in their nucleus, which have the chromosomes of every cell in their bodies.
Therapeutic Cloning produces embryonic stem cells for general scientific experiments such as creating new healthy tissue to replace injured or diseased tissues. This type of Cloning is usually used to help cure or lessen the severity of a disease. In Therapeutic Cloning, the nucleus of a cell is inserted into a fertilized egg, of which the core has been entirely removed. The egg begins to divide repeatedly to form a blastocyst, a mammalian blastula in which some differentiation of cells has occurred. Scientists collect stem cells from the blastocyst and use them to grow cells that are a perfect genetic match for the person in need. This form of Cloning prompts several ethical and moral issues concerning human intervention.
Many people are concerned that Cloning is largely unknown. When dealing with stem cells, microscopic sciences, and genes, you must know that slip-ups could result in a catastrophe. Cloning a human has not been frequently tested before, and people oppose the method because of potential risks.
Additionally, with cloning genes, there is the risk that the DNA sequence changing has harmful outcomes. For instance, the National Human Genome Institute researchers observed the concerning health effects that cloning had after a sheep named Dolla had been cloned. Dolly, who was cloned from the cell of a 6-year-old sheep, had shorter chromosomes than those of other sheep her age. Dolly died when she was just six years old, roughly half the average sheep's 12-year lifespan. If this was the tragic situation of just one animal, one could see how this raises several concerns, especially regarding other cloned animals, cloned foods, or body parts. Some diseases can be caused by genetic mutations and disorders such as Huntington's disease, an inherited condition where nerve cells in the brain break down over time. Sickle cell anemia is a group of disorders that causes red blood cells to become misshapen and break down; Cystic fibrosis, an inherited life-threatening disease that damages the lungs and digestive system, and many more. With all the uncertainty about Cloning, especially cloning on humans, scientists are unsure whether these methods can reinforce, cure or worsen these diseases.
However, there are many instances in which Cloning has helped society, such as providing solutions to long-term pressing medical complications. According to a study published in the journal Cell, the Cloning of stem cells is one of the great hopes for the medical industry. There are already trials taking place using stem cells taken from donated embryos to restore peoples' eyesight. The ability to create new tissue can heal the damage caused by heart attacks or repair severed spinal cords. These are significant breakthroughs for society because severed spinal cords often result in extreme, such as paralyzation. Similarly, Therapeutic Cloning, in the context of cell replacement therapy, holds massive potential for a permanent treatment of Parkinson's disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and Diabetes Mellitus. Since it can cause the cells in that area to regrow the same as before, Therapeutic Cloning can also provide aid and potentially cure the need for the replacement of skin, cartilage, and bone tissue.
Another way Cloning has provided aid to society is in farming and food production. According to Animal Biotechnology Update, Bio.Org, an infographic on animal cloning, it showcases how animal cloning has benefited human foods; Cloning reproduces the healthiest animals, thus minimizing the use of antibiotics, growth hormones, and other harmful chemicals. This means Cloning has the potential to make our food supply healthier and crucially toxic-chemical-free. A more nutritious food supply will increase society's well-being and open the door to other innovations! Notably, much of the food will come from the offspring of clones, which are not clones, but infact sexually reproduced animals.
Additionally, a study from the Federal Department of Agriculture (FDA) states that the makeup of food products from cattle, swine, and goat clones is no different from the original animals. According to Stephen F. Sundlof, D.V.M., Ph.D., Director of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, "Meat and milk from cows, pigs, and goat clones, and the offspring of any animal clones, are as safe as food we eat every day." As a result, cloned food products can be mass-produced globally, advancing several long-term and imperative societal benefits, such as ending world hunger and solving famines.
While some people question the morality of cloning, there is no doubt that Under the proper implementation and ethics, cloning could bring significant benefits to society, from changing our food system to advancing medicine.
References
Animal Biotechnology Update. “All About Animal Cloning.” Animal Cloning, 2010, www.bio.org/sites/default/files/legacy/bioorg/docs/files/Cloning_onepager.pdf
Ayala, F. J. (2015). Cloning humans? Biological, ethical, and social considerations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(29), 8879–8886. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1501798112
National Human Genome Research Institute. (2020, August 15). Cloning Fact Sheet | NHGRI. Genome.gov; National human genome research institute. https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Cloning-Fact-Sheet
Gallagher, J. (2013, May 15). Embryonic stem cells: Advance in medical human cloning. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/health- 22540374#:~:text=Human%20cloning%20has%20been%20used
Kugler, M. (2020, February 25). How Cloning May Cure Diseases One Day. Verywell Health.
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Anthony JF Griffiths, Gelbart, W. M., Miller, J. H., & Lewontin, R. C. (2011). Cloning a Specific Gene. Nih.gov; W. H. Freeman. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21450/
Kfoury, C. (2007). Therapeutic cloning: promises and issues. McGill Journal of Medicine : MJM : An International Forum for the Advancement of Medical Sciences by Students, 10(2), 112–120. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2323472/
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