"CAN CLONED BABIES BE FAR AWAY? "

Chinese Reseach Paves Way, As
Christian Hypocrites Urge U.S. Military Action!

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"The technology already exists to genetically increase the muscle mass
in animals by knocking out a gene known as mystatin, and could be used
by a couple who wants a great child athlete."

-- Robert Lanza, U.S. Stem Cell Scientist

"Because of concerns that the techniques might make cloning and
genetic engineering of embryos easier, the work could reignite calls
for a ban on attempts to clone people and for restrictions on genetic
manipulation of embryos."

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"Researchers May Have Found Equivalent of Embryonic Stem Cells"

By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 24, 2009

CHINESE SCIENTISTS have bred mice from cells that might offer an
alternative to human embryonic stem cells, producing the most
definitive evidence yet that the technique could help sidestep many of
the explosive ethical issues engulfing the controversial field but
raising alarm that the advance could lead to human cloning and
designer babies.

In papers published online Thursday by two scientific journals,
separate teams of researchers from Beijing and Shanghai reported that
they had for the first time created virtual genetic duplicates of mice
using skin cells from adult animals that had been coaxed into the
equivalent of embryonic stem cells.

The findings were welcomed by supporters and opponents of human
embryonic stem cell research as a long-sought vital step in proving
that the cells could be as useful as embryonic cells for studying and
curing many illnesses.

The results come just as the Obama administration has eased federal
restrictions on government funding for embryonic stem cell research,
and they could influence how to prioritize millions of dollars in new
spending in the field.

But because of concerns that the techniques might make cloning and
genetic engineering of embryos easier, the work could reignite calls
for a ban on attempts to clone people and for restrictions on genetic
manipulation of embryos.

"The implications of this are both enormously important and
troublesome," said Robert Lanza, a stem cell researcher at Advanced
Cell Technology in Worcester, Mass. "It revives many of the issues
raised by reproductive cloning."

Many scientists believe human embryonic stem cell research could
revolutionize medicine by enabling doctors to use genetically matched
tissue to treat many diseases. But the field has been mired in
controversy because embryos are destroyed to obtain the cells.

In 2006, scientists discovered that they could induce adult cells to
regress to a stage that appeared identical to embryonic stem cells,
called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Although scientists have
become increasingly adept at creating and manipulating such cells,
questions have lingered about whether they are truly equivalent. The
new experiments were designed to put the cells to what has long been
considered the most rigorous test.

In the studies, published in the journals Nature and Cell Stem Cell,
the researchers used viruses to flip genetic switches in the DNA of
skin cells from adult mice to turn them into iPS cells in the
laboratory. The researchers then injected some of the iPS cells into
very early embryos that are capable of forming a placenta but not of
fully developing on their own. The resulting embryos were then
transferred into the wombs of surrogate mice.

One team of scientists led by Qi Zhou of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences created 37 iPS cell lines, three of which produced 27 live
offspring, the first of which they named Tiny. One of the offspring, a
7-week-old male, went on to impregnate a female and produce young of
its own. Altogether, the researchers bred at least 100 first-
generation mice and hundreds of second-generation mice that were
nearly identical genetically to the mice from which the iPS cells were
derived.

"This gives us hope for future therapeutic interventions using
patients' own reprogrammed cells," Fanyi Zeng of Shanghai Jiao Tong
University, who worked with Zhou, said during a telephone briefing for
reporters.

The second group of researchers, led by Shaorong Gao of the National
Institute of Biological Sciences in Beijing, created five iPS cell
lines, one of which was able to produce embryos that survived until
birth. Although four animals were born, only one lived to adulthood.
Nevertheless, the work is "proof that iPS cells are functionally
equivalent to embryonic stem cells," Gao said in a telephone
interview.

Other researchers agreed, praising the work as a long-awaited
confirmation of the cells' equivalence.

"This clearly says for the first time that iPS cells pass the most
stringent test," said Konrad Hochedlinger, a stem cell researcher at
Harvard University.

Opponents of human embryonic stem cell research said the findings
provide the latest in a growing body of evidence for why such research
is no longer necessary.

"Nobody has been able to find anything that embryonic stem cells can
do that these cells can't do," said Richard M. Doerflinger of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops. "This was the last remaining
barrier."

The Chinese scientists and others, however, said continued research on
embryonic stem cells remains crucial to validate iPS cells and because
it remains unclear which cells will turn out to be most useful for
different purposes.

But the cells' ability to produce almost genetically identical
offspring raised the fear that rogue scientists might misuse the
technique to attempt to clone humans.

"The culture wars are not over," said Jonathan D. Moreno, a University
of Pennsylvania bioethicist. "There was a lot of celebration about the
end of the ethical issues with induced pluripotent stem cells. But
this is the paradigm case that shows that the old debates are rapidly
being transformed into something even more complicated."

Lanza also raised the prospect that the techniques could one day be
used essentially to steal someone's DNA to make a baby. "With just a
little piece of your skin, or some blood from the hospital, anyone
could have your child -- even an ex-girlfriend or neighbor," he wrote
in an e-mail. "This isn't rocket science -- with a little practice,
any IVF clinic in the world could probably figure out how to get it to
work."

In addition, researchers could genetically engineer traits into the
cells before using them to create embryos for designer babies.

"For instance, the technology already exists to genetically increase
the muscle mass in animals by knocking out a gene known as mystatin,
and could be used by a couple who wants a great child athlete," Lanza
wrote.

Others dismissed such concerns, saying many scientific, ethical and
regulatory hurdles remain. They said that just because the process
works in mice does not necessarily mean it would work in humans, that
many states outlaw human cloning and that federal regulators could
step in to prevent it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/23/AR2009072301786.
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