By Jeff Donn
Associated Press
BOSTON — Here are some questions and answers about the cloning and parthenogenesis research announced Sunday by Advanced Cell Technology, of Worcester, Mass.
A: They took a woman’s donated egg cell and sucked out the nucleus with its genetic core. Then they took a separate cumulus cell, which nurtures a developing egg, and injected it whole — with its own genetic material — into the egg cells. The cloned cumulus cell grew into a primitive, six-cell embryo.
A: It’s hard to say. The research is at a very early stage. The scientists haven’t even found stem cells inside. These are the cells that differentiate into other human tissues such as heart muscle and nerve cells. In any case, these researchers say they don’t want to make a whole new cloned person.
A: They hope eventually to find stem cells inside that can be harvested and grown into genetically compatible replacement cells to treat a wide range of diseases.
A: One of the researchers says it could take about 10 years.
A: The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to ban human cloning. The Senate is considering it. At least one senator, Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said Sunday that he and other senators wanted to learn more before making a decision.
A: It’s called parthenogenesis. The researchers put a donated egg into a chemical bath and changed the concentration of electrically charged particles inside. The egg reprogrammed itself to form an early human embryo known as a blastocyst — without the injection of another cell’s DNA, as in cloning. Again, no stem cells have been found inside.
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