HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE

This Article Free via Open Access: OA OA Full Text Full Text (PDF) HTML Page - index.htslp HTML Page - index.htslp HTML Page - index.htslp OA All Versions of this Article: 2005-0592v1 2005-0592v2 24/7/1628    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints/Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hall, V. J. Articles by Stojkovic, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hall, V. J. Articles by Stojkovic, M.

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT: CONCISE REVIEW

Using Therapeutic Cloning to Fight Human Disease: A Conundrum or Reality?

^aNeuronal Survival Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Centre, Lund University, Lund, Sweden;
^bCellular Reprogramming Laboratory, Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe, Valencia, Spain

Key Words. Clinical stem cell transplantation • Reprogramming • Human embryonic stem cells • Cloning

Correspondence: Vanessa Hall, Ph.D.,Neuronal Survival Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Centre, Department of Physiological Sciences, Lund University, BMC A10, Lund, Sweden. Telephone: +46 (0) 46-222-0526; Fax: +46 (0) 46-222-0531; email: Vanessa.Hall{at}med.lu.se

Received November 26, 2005; accepted for publication March 17, 2006.
First published online in STEM CELLS EXPRESS   March 23, 2006.


The development and transplantation of autologous cells derived from nuclear transfer embryonic stem cell (NT-ESC) lines to treat patients suffering from disease has been termed therapeutic cloning. Human NT is still a developing field, with further research required to improve somatic cell NT and human embryonic stem cell differentiation to deliver safe and effective cell replacement therapies. Furthermore, the implications of transferring mitochondrial heteroplasmic cells, which may harbor aberrant epigenetic gene expression profiles, are of concern. The production of human NT-ESC lines also remains plagued by ethical dilemmas, societal concerns, and controversies. Recently, a number of alternate therapeutic strategies have been proposed to circumvent the moral implications surrounding human nuclear transfer. It will be critical to overcome these biological, legislative, and moral restraints to maximize the potential of this therapeutic strategy and to alleviate human disease.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. W. Han, J. T. Do, L. Gentile, M. Stehling, H. T. Lee, and H. R. Scholer Pluripotential Reprogramming of the Somatic Genome in Hybrid Cells Occurs with the First Cell Cycle Stem Cells, February 1, 2008; 26(2): 445 - 454. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. J. French, C. A. Adams, L. S. Anderson, J. R. Kitchen, M. R. Hughes, and S. H. Wood Development of Human Cloned Blastocysts Following Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer with Adult Fibroblasts Stem Cells, February 1, 2008; 26(2): 485 - 493. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Triller Vrtovec and B. Vrtovec Commentary: Is Totipotency of a Human Cell a Sufficient Reason to Exclude Its Patentability Under the European Law? Stem Cells, December 1, 2007; 25(12): 3026 - 3028. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]