Sanjana: CLICK Should therapeutic cloning be used in the medical field?

CLICK Our topic is Therapeutic

Cloning within Stem Cells CLICK By: Kruti Bosmia and Sanjana Ande

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Kruti: CLICK CLICK Therapeutic cloning works by first having the nucleus extracted from an egg cell,
which holds all the genetic information (2). CLICK After this a somatic cell, otherwise known as any cell
which is taken from the body and is not a sperm or egg cell, has its nucleus extracted (2). CLICK In the
instance that a patient would need regenerative tissue to aid in treating disease, the somatic stem cell
would be taken from the patient, following this the nucleus which was extracted from the somatic cell is
inserted into the egg cell which currently lacks a nucleus (2). CLICK Since the egg cell now contains the
genetic info of the patient, the cell is stimulated and then grows into a blastocyte (2). CLICK From the
blastocyte embryonic stem cell lines are formed, these can be infused into a patient CLICK in order to
aid in treating a disease by aiding in regenerating damaged tissues in the patient (2).

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Sanjana: CLICK So, the question is Should Therapeutic Cloning be used in the medical field?

Sanjana: CLICK The positive side of our issue is that therapeutic cloning should be used in the medical
field. CLICK This is because therapeutic cloning allows for an increase in research developing new
medicines and vaccines. CLICK Therapeutic cloning also allows for the growth of healthy tissues. CLICK
Lastly, therapeutic cloning allows for a decreased risk of immune system rejection when compared with
other medical treatments.

Kruti: CLICK However, along with the positive side of stem cell therapy comes the negative. CLICK One
of the downsides of using therapeutic cloning in the medical field is that the retrieval of embryonic stem
cells used in therapeutic cloning is ethically controversial. CLICK Furthermore, the radiation and
chemotherapy a patient is exposed to has serious risk, along with the possible side effects of the
transplant itself. CLICK Lastly, there is a possibility of the stem cells turning into cancer stem cells.

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Sanjana: CLICK One reason as to why therapeutic cloning should be allowed in the medical field is
because there are many benefits of therapeutic cloning on medicines and vaccines. We can see that
many well educated people support therapeutic cloning as CLICK many of the top scientists from the
National Institute of Health and the National Academies of Science agree that therapeutic cloning and its
research has a significant potential to help many people and its research should be continued (1). Upon
further research it was also found that CLICK therapeutic and stem cell research would aid scientists in
learning more about how to develop new cells and tissues which would help treat many diseases such as
cancer while the research and use of therapeutic cloning is supported my many people; such as Nobel
Laureates and even former Presidents, and help persuade them to think that it should be used in the
medical field (1). This indicates that many people are in support of the research that comes with
therapeutic cloning because it would aid in saving many people’s lives and treating various diseases.

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Sanjana: CLICK CLICK Furthermore using therapeutic cloning and the research that comes with it, it
would be possible to enhance our knowledge about the molecular causes of various diseases as well as
the differentiated tissues which are made from ES cells would be an excellent way to test new
therapeutic drugs without putting people at harm (2). This shows how therapeutic cloning is truly a
beneficial aspect which should be used in the medical field to ensure that we can learn as much as
possible and further research about therapeutic cloning while developing new medicines and
treatments which would save the lives of many people. CLICK Therapeutic cloning also offers a large step
going forward in the research of regenerative medicine as well as new light upon the recovery and cures
for many genetic disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (4). CLICK Along with this the application of
therapeutic cloning would even help patients who suffer from diabetes and various neurodegenerative
diseases (4). This means that as the research and practice of therapeutic cloning is furthered, we would
be able to help people who suffer from diseases which now do not have many treatments or cures, but
with therapeutic cloning we would be able to treat these patients and possibly even find cures for these
diseases and vaccines for many viruses.

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Sanjana:

CLICK In an experiment I read about it was discussing the efficiency of the nuclear transfer technique.
CLICK Although the nuclear transfer technique is not very efficient it has an astonishing consistency (2).
CLICK It was seen overall efficiency was about 8.1% with the value expecting to increase to above 8.2%
(2). CLICK It was also seen that although there may be as many as 1000 or as low as 15 oocytes required,
on average this process has only required 30 oocytes were necessary in order to produce one of the cell
lines (2). This data supports my side because it shows how although the efficiency is low, there is a
stunning accuracy, which would lead to a more developed and concise research without much variance.
It also supports the idea that therapeutic cloning should be use in the medical field because it shows
how although the process has a chance of using many oocytes, it has been studied, and upon studying
ad practice, it is seen that only 30 oocytes are needed in order to create the cell line. Another aspect
which this data supports is that therapeutic cloning shows promising future, it shows how although
currently the efficiency is low, it is expected that the efficiency will increase because of the promising
research going on which will lead to many changes and benefits in the future, therefore, therapeutic
cloning ad its research should be allowed in the medical field.

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Sanjana:

CLICK An interview was done by Medscape's Laurie Barclay interviewing Michael J. Werner, Esq., vice
president of bioethics at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), and Bill Saunders, JD, director
and senior of the Family Research Council (FRC) Center for Human Life and Bioethics (1). The interview
was done regarding the Human Cloning Prohibition Act which would illegalize all types of cloning,
including therapeutic cloning, as opposed to the Human Cloning Ban and Stem Cell Research Protection
Act which would restrict human cloning but allow stem cell research, and the opinions of both
professionals were taken. CLICK In the interview Mr. Werner said “We support a ban on reproductive
cloning, but this bill goes too far. It bans research and innovation which could lead to cures and
treatments for diabetes, cancer, and Parkinson's disease.” (1). In saying this Mr. Werner implies that yes,
the reproductive cloning of humans is unethical and should not be done, but on the other hand,
therapeutic cloning and SCNT research are highly applicable and helpful to humans, as its research can
aid in treating deadly diseases and would save the lives of many people, so while reproductive cloning
should be banned, other forms of cloning, such as therapeutic, and its research should not be made
illegal by the bill. CLICK Mr. Werner also said that the bill would “stop certain medical research, such as
SCNT research, and it will severely restrict stem cell research. It will stigmatize a very promising field of
research and force it abroad”, he went on to further elaborate on how this if prevention of research
forces its development abroad, once these techniques are developed in other countries the United
States residents would be forced to go abroad to access the therapeutic cloning technologies which
would save many lives, but even if the bill was passed the importation of the treatments would be illegal
just as traveling abroad to get the treatments may be illegal as well, which may cause many Americans
to lose their lives when they could have been treated (1). The passage of bills such as the Human Cloning
Prohibition Act would overall be a loss for the United States, because it would prevent us from being
able to develop new therapy techniques which would save many people’s lives. Acts such as the Human
Cloning Ban and Stem Cell Research Protection, would be highly effective because they would ensure
that unethical acts such as human cloning would not take place all while therapeutic cloning and SCNT
research would be allowed in order to help develop new treatment for many patients such as burn
victims, cancer patients, diabetic patients, and more, all with a decreased chance of immune system
rejection. Overall, therapeutic cloning and its research should be allowed in the medical field, as CLICK
Mr. Werner says, “We're absolutely against [reproductive cloning]; it's therapeutic cloning that we
support.” (1).

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Sanjana: CLICK Another reason as to why therapeutic cloning should be allowed in the medical field is
because there are many benefits of therapeutic cloning on healthy tissue regrowth. CLICK therapeutic
cloning would be used to help make replacements which would be almost identical to the original of
skin, bone, cartilage, and even could help burns victims and other who have encountered accidents, it
may also aid in developing new spinal cord and retinal tissue which could help people who are paralyzed
(1). This furthers the idea that CLICK therapeutic cloning is very useful in generating new tissues for
injured people and would create new cells and tissues which would aid in the transplantation (1). CLICK
Embryonic stem cells can be used to grow healthy tissues in a controlled environment, these embryonic
stem cells are very beneficial because they have the ability to grow into virtually all type of cells in the
body meaning that it would help many people, then in the controlled environment these grown tissues
and cells would be used to replaced old or damaged tissues (2) Following these ideas

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Sanjana: CLICK CLICK therapeutic cloning ensures that an individual’s own cells are used to generate
other cells and tissues, this significantly decreases the risk of introducing foreign cells which the immune
system may reject, keeping the person safe during a transplantation while curing or treating one’s
disease (1). CLICK Therapeutic cloning’s benefit is that the risk of immunological rejections is significantly
decreases, if not completely eliminated (1). This means as one’s own cells are being used and modified
their body will not have to face such a high risk of immune rejection because there are no foreign
materials, tissues, or materials entering the body since the necessary transplant tissues and organs are
made of one’s own cells. CLICK Cells which are cloned from the patient themselves ensure that they will
not suffer with permanent immune suppression (8) which could be the changing factor in many people’s
lives. This is because after a transplant procedure many people face immune system rejection where
their body is rejecting the transplanting tissues and organs which may cause them to suffer as their own
body attacks their own tissues, but with therapeutic cloning the necessary tissues are made from own’s
own tissues decreasing this risk which could make the difference between peace and pain or even life
and death.

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Sanjana: CLICK Therapeutic cloning is actually supported by many people contrary to popular which is
seen in the polls which were done to see the general opinion among many people regarding cloning.
CLICK It was seen that the opposition against cloning was decreased when there was emphasis placed
on cures for diseases, such as therapeutic cloning, as opposed to when it was used for cloning which was
non-medical (1). CLICK It also showed how there was a significant increase in support when the cloning
was therapeutic and was being used for disease and human therapy (1). CLICK According to a poll taken
by Charlton Research in June 2004 on Americans it was seen that a majority of the Americans,
specifically 59 out of the 94 people surveyed, agreed which allowing further research into therapeutic
cloning (1). CLICK According to another poll taken by the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical
Research in April 2002 on Americans, 68 out of the 94 people favored the idea that therapeutic cloning
research should be allowed by the government in order to be able to treat and reduce the risk of life
threatening diseases, by producing stem cells (1).This data supports my side because it shows how in
many aspects a majority of people support the idea of therapeutic cloning, therefore it should be used
in the medical field. Since a majority of the people surveyed support therapeutic cloning, this survey can
be applied to the general population. In saying this I mean that, since most people tend to support the
idea of therapeutic cloning, as it has many promising ideas for the treatment of life-threatening
diseases, therapeutic cloning should be used in the medical field because the people support it. As most
people support the therapeutic cloning, this means that ethically many people consider therapeutic
cloning ethical and therefore, ethical concerns are decreased and it should be used in the medical field.

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Kruti: Even though some people believe that stem cell therapy should be used in the medical field,
here’s why I disagree. CLICK One of many dangerous of stem cell therapy is the risks patients have to go
through before the transplant. CLICK Before a patient gets a bone marrow transplant specifically, they
have to go through extreme radiation and high doses of chemotherapy. The radiation and chemo try to
eliminate the cancer cells in the patient’s body, but the healthy body cells are also at risk. One side
effect is a low blood cell count. There are a lot of cells that make us blood. Erythrocytes, which are red
blood cells, have hemoglobin. Hemoglobin carry oxygen to body cells, so a low count of blood cells
means low count of red blood cells and hemoglobin. The effect of this is low oxygen getting to the body
cells. Lymphocytes, which are white blood cells, are responsible to fight pathogens. Low counts of white
blood cells also mean a weaker deference for the body making the body at risk of infections and other
illnesses caused by pathogens. Platelets, thrombocyte, are also part of blood. The function of platelets is
to help in clotting blood. So, a reduced count of platelets puts the patient at risk for bleeding out, even
for an injury that wouldn’t normally be a concern. CLICK The known consequences of radiation and
chemotherapy also remain. These include nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, diarrhea, hair loss, liver
problems, and more. CLICK Along with the short term side effects, there are long term side effects of
extensive radiation and chemo too. These side effects include damage to heart and lungs, hormone
related problems, fertility issues, damage to bone and bone growth, and the possibility of developing
another cancer. These consequences affect the patient’s entire life, even many years after the
transplant. CLICK Veno-occlusive disease (VOD) is a condition that occurs from high doses of
chemotherapy or radiation. The liver is extremely damaged from these procedures which can be serious
and possibility fatal (13).

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Kruti: CLICK I had the amazing ability to interview Doctor Neeharika Makani. Dr. Makani is a
Hematologist and Oncologist. In the interview, I asked her how stem cells are used in cancer treatments
today. CLICK She explained that because the patient’s immune system is incredibility suppressed, the
patient is tremendously susceptible to all pathogens. The smallest thing that people with normal and
healthy can get over by taking over the counter medication can be extremely fatal to the patient.

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Kruti: Along with the dangers of pre-transplant procedures, there also dangerous that are present after
the transplant is completed. CLICK The graft-versus-host disease is a serious possible consequence when
getting bone marrow transplants from a donor. In the condition, CLICK lymphocytes which are white
blood cells, specifically T cells, in the donor's blood recognize the recipient's body cells as foreign; thus,
the body of the patient is attacked by the transplanted blood. White blood cells are responsible for
fighting of any pathogens or anything it recognizes as foreign. Since the newly transplanted bone
marrow of a donor, is not used to the recipient's cells, it considers them as a theat. The T cells might
start attacking the recipient’s body cells, as it would a virus or bacteria. The patient body and crucial
organs are at danger. This can cause patient’s organs to not work properly or completely fail. This
condition can be treated, but it's like a lose lose condition. CLICK The attacking T-cells can be stopped or
reduced by suppressing the immune system. The white blood cells won't be able to attach the body
itself, but it also won't be able to attach real pathogens that may cause an illness. With the patient’s
immune system suppressed once again, the patient is at high risk of illness. A simple flu virus that a
normal immune system can destroy, will be detrimental for the patient since their immune system can't
fight.

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Kruti: CLICK CLICK graft failure happens when the implanted stem cells don’t not multiply to regenerate
new tissue or blood. CLICK Another possible risk is, once again, weak immune system. Even after, a
successful stem cell transplant, the immune system takes much much longer to regenerate compared to
the lymphocytes. Although the lymphocytes are a part of the immune system, it is not the only part.
When suppressed, the entire immune system is affected, so it takes much longer for the whole immune
system to fully recover. While it is in the process of recovering, the body is highly at risk.

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Kruti: CLICK CLICK Dr. Makani explained that one of the major usages of stem cells is in leukemia
treatments (1). For leukemia, patients have to get a bone marrow transplant because bone marrow
contains stem cells that make blood. CLICK She went further to say that that the major complications
can occur are the patient’s bone marrow can reject the donor’s stem cells that were injected in their
blood and the patient’s organs could reject the stem cells in the blood (1). The outcome of the patient
being cured of leukemia and not having any complications is very rare. The immune system is almost
completely suppressed, so the patient will have no ability to protect itself. Normal bodies can quickly
recover from a very small cut, but once the immune system is put down even that small cut can be
deadly

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Kruti: CLICK Stem cell have a surprisingly stark similarities with cancerous stem cells. Cancer cells are
characterize as uncontrollably replicating cells. These cells are normal body cells until their mutation
causes them to replicate at an abnormal rate. Stem cells have a similar characteristic. Stem cells in the
body replicate to form or replace specialized cells. CLICK When duplicated, one daughter cell becomes a
renewed stem cell and the other becomes progenitor. The renewed stem cells awaits for when it needs
to duplicate again. The progenitor cell duplicated to differentiate into a specialized cell (2). After the
embryonic stem cells have finished their process, they are called adult stem cells. CLICK Adult stem cells
are present in the body much longer than body cells, for they generate to make those cells. This
property makes stem cells more susceptible to mutation, maybe even a mutation that will severely alter
the genetic composition (2). The mutation allows the stem cells to carry out mitosis, which is the process
the cell goes when replicating, at an uncontrollable rate, producing a cancerous tumor. There stark
similarities between cancers stem cells and regular stem cells. If a stem cell is implanted into a patient
with the hope to regrow damaged or issue, that stem cell has the dangerous ability to hurt the patient
rather than help. The patient still has the damaged tissue and now at risk of cancer due to the stem cell
implantation.

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Kruti: CLICK Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells, meaning that they can
differentiate into certain cells. Mesenchymal stem cells are found in many organs, most commonly bone
marrow (1). CLICK Through research, it was found that 45.8% of mesenchymal stem cells are likely to
become cancerous if cultured too long (1). This means that if 100 MSCs were cultured, about 46 of them
would be cancerous. The large percent of just one type of stem cell mutating into a life-taking cell is
extremely concerning. This risk is present for all stem cells. If a patient undergoes stem cell therapy, with
donor stem cells, to treat his/her damaged heart tissue, some of the Mesenchymal stem cells could be
cancerous. If accidentally cultivated too long in the laboratory, almost half of the implanted stem cells
are possibly cancer-creating. This patient still has damaged heart tissues and now be very likely to have
cancer. 45.8% is just too high to consider safe. It is very plausible that patients can develop cancer if they
previously didn’t or developed a new type of cancer if they already had cancer.

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Kruti: CLICK Furthermore, Dr. Makani shared instances where the inserted stem cells have turned into
cancer after a considerable duration of time. CLICK One case explained involved a patient having a stem
cell transplant in their retina of the eye; the patient later developed an abnormal tumor in their optic
nerve and eventually lost vision in both their eyes (1). CLICK The second case she told me was of a
patient getting stem cells transplanted in their nasal cavity, after 8 years the patient was found to
develop a tumor in their spine (1). In both of these cases, it was the stem cells that cause cancer in
nearby organs and resulted in serious consequences. Every patient that receives stem cell transplant,
even though the stem cells contain the patient's genetic information, is at risk of cancer.
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Kruti: CLICK Yet another reason why stem cell shouldn't be used in the medical field is because getting
the embryonic stem cell is highly controversial. The first step of therapeutic cloning using embryonic
stem cells is to attain stem cells from an embryo. CLICK This process involves destroying a 5 to 7 day old
blastocyst that is fertilized in a lab. The inner portion of the blastocyst contains the cells that mature
into embryonic stem cells (1). If left to grow, the inner mass of cells in the blastocyst would mature into
the stem cells that would generate specialized cells. Sciences would mature the inner mass in the lab by
putting it under special conditions. The conflict however is in the accumulation of the inner cell mass.
CLICK Some believe that life begins once the baby is born; thus, an embryos is not yet alive making it
acceptable to destroy the embryo. On the other hand, some believe that human life begins at
fertilization, when the child is conceived (1). These different point of view raise the debate of whether
destroying a blastocyst to extract the embryonic stem cells is murder or not. These are the same
debates regarding abortion. At the point of view of those that believe that human life begins when the
egg is fertilized, retrieving the stem cell is another form of murder, just like murdering an adult or child.
The blastocyst, if implanted into the womb of a women, could have become a healthy, alive child.
Destroying the embryo is destroying a child.

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Kruti: CLICK CLICK 54% of Americans do not approve fertilization of human embryos, in a lab, to make
stem cells. This means that majority of Americans believe it is not ethical right to fertilize an egg, just for
it to be destroyed. Even though the embryo is not in a mother’s womb, it could have been implanted in
one and become a possibly, healthy baby.

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Kruti: CLICK Dr. Makani shared that there are black markets for embryonic stem cells. She told me that
CLICK “people can misuse this research and pay people to get pregnant and then get an abortion to take
the embryonic stem cells” (1). The black market for embryonic stem cells itself is wrong since the people
that are willing to pay the stem cells would get one, not necessary the patients who need it the most.
Also, the procedure used to get the stem cells is wrong too since it may involve women naturally
fertilizing an egg instead of the egg being fertilized in a lab. Furthermore, the abortion techniques may
not be scientifically safe and approved either, so the women and the embryonic stem cells may be
harmed. Another issue is introduced as well. It is scientifically proven that if the stem cells are cultured
more than a very specific amount of time, it can turn cancerous; this is possible in the lab’s controlled
environment. In a black market for embryonic stem cells, it is less likely for those strict regulations to be
followed; thus, cancerous stem cells are much more likely to develop and cause cancer in patients
receiving the illegal attained stem cells.

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Sanjana: CLICK Therapeutic cloning has both a positive and negative side as shown by this cartoon.

Kruti: CLICK Whose side are you on?

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Sanjana: CLICK CLICK This is a list of resources we used to support our research.

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Sanjana: CLICK CLICK

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Kruti: CLICK So, the question remain, should therapeutic cloning be used the medical field?

Sanjana: CLICK What do you think?