About Cord Blood Used in Cloning

Identification

Researchers use the term therapeutic cloning to describe a largely theoretical process of using stem cells to produce genetically compatible donor biological material to patients in need. Using stem cells, doctors may one day be able to grow whole organs, skin grafts, nerve tissue and more in a laboratory for safe transplant. It may sound like science fiction, but progress on the research has been proceeding apace.

Significance

For most cloning and stem-cell therapy research, the stem cells must be taken from a viable human embryo, which is later destroyed. For many people, this raises strong ethical concerns, and many governments around the world have imposed heavy regulations on stem-cell research or have outlawed it altogether. In theory, the stem cells contained in cord blood can be used for therapeutic cloning without destroying any embryos, and the process should be less complex.

Function

Therapeutic cloning is quite different from reproductive cloning, which produces another viable organism. The stem cells, rather than being used to create another embryo, are instead mixed with cells from the target donor. For example, if the technicians were trying to grow skin for a graft, they would mix skin from the donor with the stem cells in their laboratory. The stem cells would then work to grow viable tissue that could be transplanted with no risk of rejection.

Features

The stem cells in cord blood, however, do differ from those that come from human embryos. They are in an in-between area between so-called "embryonic" and "adult" stem cells, and may not be able to be used for the exact same purposes. Researchers are hopeful, but it's not certain where the research will ultimately go. International researchers on therapeutic cloning still generally use embryonic stem cells from animals in their research.

Potential

Currently, cord blood that is donated or banked is primarily used for transplants that would otherwise require bone marrow--such as in treatments for leukemia and other such life-threatening diseases. Donating cord blood will not result in it being used for any sort of cloning unless specifically set aside for that research. In the future, if cord blood proves to be a promising and useful source of stem cells for therapeutic cloning, that is very likely to change for the benefit of all humankind.