Types of cloning

Cloning can be identified as “the technique of producing a genetically identical copy of

an organism by replacing the nucleus of an unfertilized ovum with the nucleus of a body cell
from the organism”. For many years, scientists have done this process and duplicated a lot of
non-human animals, from mice and pigs to cows and monkeys, and many more. Then scientists
wanted to take the process to the next level and extended it to human cloning, however they have
never reached further than the infant stages with the human cloning technology, due to many
ethical concerns involved in the process. Human cloning can be divided into two types, the first
one is Reproductive cloning, and the second is Therapeutic cloning.

Firstly, Reproductive cloning is the most commonly known of the two types of cloning, it
is a technology of creating an animal with the same nuclear DNA it was taken from. It can be
defined as the deliberate production of genetically identical individuals, which means that it is
the method to produce a newly individual that is an identical twin of the original animal or
person. Clones of this type contain identical sets of genetic material in the nucleus of every cell
in the body. Thus, cells of both clones have the same DNA and the same genes in their nuclei.
There are two methods that are used to get this type of cloning. Both of them require
implantation of an embryo in a uterus and then a normal period of gestation and birth. The first
method makes use of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technique to develop the embryo.
This technique starts with the donation of egg cell with nucleus from the female donor, then this
nucleus of the egg cell is removed to create an enucleated egg. The person who is being cloned
acts as somatic cell donor, the somatic cell of the doner should contain DNA as its genetic
material, then it is fused with the enucleated egg in artificial medium using electricity. The high
voltage makes pores in somatic cell membrane and facilitates the infusion of egg cell into the
somatic cell, which leads to the formation of embryo. The embryo is then transferred to the
uterus of an animal. The successful implantation of the embryo in a uterus can result in its further
development, culminating sometimes in the birth of an animal (or human). This animal will be a
clone of the individual that was the donor of the nucleus. Its nuclear DNA has been inherited
from only one genetic parent. The second method is done by embryo splitting. The DNA in
embryo splitting is contributed by germ cells from two individuals—the mother who contributed
the egg and the father who contributed the sperm. Thus, the embryos have two parents. However,
this method of cloning is identical with the natural formation of monozygotic twins and, in rare
cases, even quadruplets.

Secondly, Therapeutic cloning consists of creating a cloned embryo for the sake of
producing embryonic stem cells that have the same DNA as the donor cell. These cells can later
be used in experiments aiming to understand diseases and developing new treatments for them.
However, until now, there are no evidence that human embryos have been created for therapeutic
cloning. There are some potential applications for this type of cloning that the researchers hope
to achieve. They hope to use the embryonic stem cell, that have the ability to generate all types
of cells in an organism, to create healthy tissues in labs that can be used later to replace diseased
or injured tissues. Moreover, studying stem cells of cloned embryos taken from humans and
animals that have different diseases allow scientists to learn more about molecular causes of
those diseases. These cells are also used as tools to test new drugs and medicines. On the other
side, there are a few drawbacks of this type of cloning. Some researchers are worried of the
similarities between the stem cells and cancer cells, as both of them have the ability to proliferate
indefinitely. There are some studies that show that after 60 cycles of cell division, stem cells can
lead to cancer. That’s why researchers asks to wait before using stem cells for treating human
diseases until they understand better about the relationship between stem cells and cancer cells.

References

1) Scientific and Medical Aspects of Human Reproductive Cloning. Washington (DC):

National Academies Press (US); 2002. 2, Cloning: Definitions And Applications.
Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223960/
2) "Cloning Fact Sheet." National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). 1 July 2001.
Retrieved from: http://www.genome.gov/25020028.