Human Cloning

Anne McLaren, Wellcome/CRC Institute, Cambridge, UK

Published online: September 2006

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0005597

Cloning means producing genetically identical organisms, identical either to each other or to some preexisting organism. Human cloning could be used to produce early embryos genetically identical to a patient, in order to derive immunologically compatible stem cells for the treatment of the patient's disease (therapeutic cloning); or, if cloned embryos were transferred to a woman's uterus, they could produce babies genetically identical to each other or to some progenitor (reproductive cloning).

Keywords: embryo splitting; nuclear transfer; stem cells; reproductive cloning; therapeutic cloning

 References
    Thompson JA, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Shapiro SS, Waknitz MA, Swiergiel JJ, Marshall VS and Jones JM (1998) Embryonic stem cell lines derived from human blastocysts. Science 282: 1145–1147.
    Wakayama T, Perry ACF, Zuccotti M, Johnson KR and Yanagimachi R (1998) Full-term development of mice from enucleated oocytes injected with cumulus cell nuclei. Nature 394: 369–374.
    Willadsen SM (1986) Nuclear transplantation in sheep embryos. Nature 320: 63–65.
    Wilmut I, Schnieke AE, McWhir J, Kind AJ and Campbell KHS (1997) Viable offspring derived from fetal and adult mammalian cells. Nature 385: 810–813.
 Further Reading
    Burley J and Harris J (1999) Human cloning and child welfare. Journal of Medical Ethics 25: 108–113.
    book Department of Health (2000) Stem Cell Research with Responsibility (The Donaldson Report). London, UK: TSO.
    Griffin H (1998) Cloning and nuclear transfer – on proposals to clone human. Roslin Institute Online. [www.roslin.ac.uk]
    book Human Genetics Advisory Commission and Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (1998) Cloning Issues in Reproduction, Science and Medicine. London, UK: Department of Trade and Industry.
    book Huxley A (1932) Brave New World. London, UK: Flamingo Press.
    Kawase E, Yamazaki Y, Pedersen RA and Yanagimachi R (2000) Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell lines established from neuronal cell-derived cloned blastocysts. Genesis 28: 156–163.
    Kind A and Colman A (1999) Therapeutic cloning: needs and prospects. Cell and Developmental Biology 10: 279–286.
    McLaren A (2000) Cloning: pathways to a pluripotent future. Science 288: 1775–1780.
    book National Bioethics Advisory Commission (1997) Cloning Human Beings: Report and Recommendations. Rockville, MD: US Government Printing Office.
    book National Bioethics Advisory Commission (1999) Ethical Issues in Human Stem Cell Research, vol. 1. Rockville, MD: US Government Printing Office.
    Williamson R (1999) Human reproductive cloning is unethical because it undermines autonomy. Journal of Medical Ethics 25: 96–97.
    book Wilmut I, Campbell KHS and Tudge C (2000) The Second Creation: The Age of Biological Control. London, UK: Headline.
 Web Links
    ePath OMIM (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Omim/
    ePath Tetrahydrobiopterin http://www.bh4.org
    ePath AR (androgen receptor (dihydrotestosterone receptor; testicular feminization; spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy; Kennedy disease)); LocusID: 367. LocusLink: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/LocusLink/LocRpt.cgi?l=367
    ePath FGFR3 (fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (achondroplasia, thanatophoric dwarfism)); LocusID: 2261. LocusLink: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/LocusLink/LocRpt.cgi?l=2261
    ePath HGD (homogentisate 1, 2-dioxygenase (homogentisate oxidase)); LocusID: 3081. LocusLink: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/LocusLink/LocRpt.cgi?l=3081
    ePath PAH (phenylalanine hydroxylase); LocusID: 5053. LocusLink: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/LocusLink/LocRpt.cgi?l=5053
    ePath AR (androgen receptor (dihydrotestosterone receptor; testicular feminization; spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy; Kennedy disease)); MIM number: 313700. OMIM: http://www3.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Omim/dispmim?313700
    ePath FGFR3 (fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (achondroplasia, thanatophoric dwarfism)); MIM number: 134934. OMIM: http://www3.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Omim/dispmim?134934
    ePath HGD (homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase (homogentisate oxidase)); MIM number: 203500. OMIM: http://www3.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Omim/dispmim?203500
    ePath PAH (phenylalanine hydroxylase); MIM number: 261600. OMIM: http://www3.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Omim/dispmim?261600
    ePath Roslin Institute Web Site http://www.roslin.ac.uk

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Techniques and Tools in Clinical Genetics | General Genetics and Disease | Health Care | Bioethics
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Article Title: Human Cloning
 
How to Cite close
McLaren, Anne(Sep 2006) Human Cloning. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0005597]