Why is therapeutic cloning important

These cells have been recognized in the scientific literature and by the NIH as having important biological properties. Specifically, they can be turned into any type of cell in the body. Therefore, they could provide the scientific basis for research leading to cures and treatments for disease.

However, the cells currently available to researchers are insufficient because:. Skip to main content. The Value of Therapeutic Cloning for Patients. Share Print. There is some confusion surrounding use of the word "cloning.

However, it is important to distinguish between that and other appropriate and important uses of the technology such as cloning specific human cells, genes and other tissues that do not and cannot lead to a human being therapeutic cloning. These techniques are integral to the production of breakthrough medicines, diagnostics and vaccines to treat many diseases.

They could also produce replacement skin, cartilage and bone tissue for burn and accident victims, and result in ways to regenerate retinal and spinal cord tissue. The nation's top scientists from The National Academies of Science and National Institutes of Health, as well as numerous Nobel Laureates attest to the scientific value of this research. A February, report from the National Academies of Science concluded that while reproductive cloning is unsafe and should be banned, therapeutic cloning has sufficient scientific potential that it should be allowed to continue.

Stem cell research will help scientists learn how to develop cells and tissue to cure disease. Over many years, scientists have demonstrated that they may learn how to induce these cells to differentiate into many different cell types.

Accomplishing that would enable scientists to create new, healthy cells and tissue for transplantation to replace damaged or dead tissue. Mitochondrial replacement techniques MRT are novel procedures where maternal nuclear DNA is transferred from her oocyte or zygote to a donor oocyte from which the nuclear DNA has been removed.

In FDA requested that the Institute of Medicine IOM produce a consensus report regarding the ethical and social policy issues related to genetic modification of eggs and zygotes to prevent transmission of mitochondrial disease 1. The report concluded that MRT in humans is ethically permissible as long as certain conditions and principles are met. One condition is that treatment should be limited to women who are at risk of transmitting severe mitochondrial disease and because female embryos would result in heritable genetic modification, MRT research should be restricted initially to male embryos.

The field of genetics is moving rapidly with new techniques that focus on DNA manipulation in vivo resulting in the alteration of genes to correct mutations, introduce new genetic information, and remove specific DNA sequences. To address the societal issues surrounding genome editing, the International Summit on Human Gene Editing, hosted by the scientific academies of China, the United Kingdom and the U. The summit concluded that somatic therapies based on genome editing should proceed under the existing FDA regulatory framework, but editing the human germline would be irresponsible to pursue at this time.

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