Cloned human embryos to make stem cells

[Olowkow]

I heard an interview with Shoukhrat Mitalipov, who claims to have made a major breakthrough in stem cell research, and thought this would make an interesting thread. The podcast is Global News (Wed 5/15/13).

This NPR article pretty much captures the thrust of what he spoke about in the interview. What struck me was that the apparent solution that has evaded so many other researchers was the secret ingredient! Caffeine!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/201...ntists-clone-human-embryos-to-make-stem-cells

(NPR's All Things Considered podcast at the above site also)

The researchers first recruited women who were willing to provide eggs for the research. Next, they removed most of the DNA from each egg and replaced the genetic material with DNA from other peoples' skin cells.
Then, after a long search, they finally found the best way to stimulate each egg so that it would develop into an embryo without the need to be fertilized with sperm. The key turned out to be a combination of chemicals and an electric pulse.


"We had to find the perfect combination," Mitalipov says. As it turned out, that perfect combination included something surprising: caffeine.

My impression is that this could open huge frontiers in medicine, particularly possibly a treatment of Alzheimers disease and other until now impossible cures.

ETA: Link to Cell Press.

 

[kblood]

TAGGED!

Thank you.

 

[kblood]

Omg. Coffee was the answer? Gotta love Starbucks. Personally though, I do not really like coffee.

 

[Olowkow]

I was hoping some of our resident embryology or cell biology experts would have some insights into how this works. Science Friday (NPR) had a program on this also. The controversy about the destruction of human embryos is just one facet, while the possible cloning of a human is another. I'm interested in how fertilization can be stimulated by an electric current or in this case a chemical such as caffeine. Do these developments have any impact on the whole subject of abiogenesis or parthenogenesis?

 

[Mark6]

I listened to that NPR program. Gotta love opponents of this technique. One of them said in an interview "First, this is immoral because it creates a human embryo and then destroys it. Worse, same technique can be used to make human clones". If he thinks every embryo including ones from stem cells is sacred and must not be destroyed, shouldn't he welcome the idea of clones?

 

[Olowkow]

When I listen to the "morality" debate with respect to the matter of stem cels, the religious aspect seems so distant and out of place, much as I feel about those who worship an image of Jesus on piece of toast. I see the arguments, I understand them, but the idea that we could be manufacturing new body parts and even brain cells if only it weren't for an imaginary white haired creator of the universe who cares what we do to microscopic entities makes me want to blame, once again, religion world wide for impeding medical advancement. In short, for me, not proceeding with such developments is immoral.