“Therapeutic” Cloning Lags Behind Adult Stem Cell Success
A report in the Journal “Cell” last week announced the purported use of “therapeutic” cloning to correct a genetic based immune system defect in mice.
But this reported cloning “success” was hardly a success at all. Moreover, this report is years behind successes with ADULT stem cells used to cure HUMAN infants of severe combined immonodeficiency syndrome, in the first successful clinical trials in gene therapy.
The researchers in the MOUSE cloning experiment – after various failed attempts involving embryonic stem cells from cloned mice – achieved success after they 1) grew born mice, then 2) used the bone marrow stem cells or blood stem cells of those born mice for transplant. In other words, the researchers were most successful when they resorted to using ADULT stem cells from the born mice.
The research authors note: “Our results raise the provocative possibility that even genetically matched cells derived by therapeutic cloning may still face barriers to effective transplantation for some disorders.”
Far from demonstrating any superior therapeutic benefits of cloned embryos’ stem cells (after 20 years of ongoing ESCR research in MICE), this study shows the approach continues to lag years behind proven advances with adult stem cells – which are successful in treating real HUMAN children with serious diseases (April ’00 journal “Science” reported restored immune systems of infants with severe combined immunodeficiency using gene therapy with the patients’ own bone marrow – ADULT – stem cells).
Source: Do No Harm: The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics – www.stemcellresearch.org