Bill, a poster at GetReligion.org has responded to my second post regarding embryonic stem cell research. Fearing that our playful repartee might be cut off by the GR powers that be, Bill was kind enough to post here at Bioethike (see Bill’s comment under previous post). Privately, I’ve promised Bill a response. Here goes:
Bill: Robert, I think I’ve found the source of the confusion. I gather that, for you, the term SCNT refers to an entire process that, by definition, results in a clone.”
Robert: Bill, I’m working with the definition of SCNT provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Note that SCNT results in an embryo:
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)—A technique that combines an enucleated egg (nucleus removed) and the nucleus of a somatic cell to make an embryo. SCNT can be used for therapeutic or reproductive purposes, but the initial stage that combines an enucleated egg and a somatic cell nucleus is the same. See also therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning.”
Bill: When I first learned the term SCNT from a class, it was presented to me as strictly denoting the act of removing a nucleus from a somatic cell and placing it inside another, enucleated cell (not necessarily an oocyte). In this latter sense, SCNT does not refer to the overall process of cloning (which I oppose), but only to the transfer of a nucleus in general.”
Robert: OK. Must have been an interesting class. If you’re aware of research going on in which nuclei are being inserted into enucleated non-oocytes, I would be interested in reading more about it.
Bill: Consider a hypothetical point in the future in which scientists have learned how to manipulate an enucleated oocyte such that when the donor nucleus arrives, the host oocyte reprograms it to express the genes of a self-renewing target cell, such as an adult stem cell, a progenitor cell, or even something like a pancreatic beta cell. The question is: is this modified-oocyte-plus-donor-nucleus an embryonic cell? I would say no, because it’s gene expression and developmental potency would be nowhere near that of an embryonic stem cell. No blastocyst or embryonic stem cells would result from the division of the cell in question. Such a process would involve literal SCNT, but would not constitute SCNT-cloning because no embryo results from any step in the process.”
Robert: Now I think I understand. You’re confusing types of cells. In layman’s terms, an oocyte is an egg. In your example, in which a nucleus is injected into an oocyte, you are perfectly describing SCNT, which results in an embryonic clone. Embryonic stem cells taking from such a clone in the blastocyst stage of the development would not need to be further developed into adult stem cells. We can harvest adult stem cells already, without destroying embryos, and use these cells therapeutically. In fact, we’ve been doing that for more than 40 years.
Further, I think (hope?) that what you’re trying to support is not “literal-SCNT,” as you coin it, but using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs), which are artificially created from adult cells and do not require the destruction of embryos, as does ESCR. The iPSC process uses viruses to transfect genes to a non-pluripotent adult cell. Wiki describes the process. This research is occuring now. Again, a definition of iPSCs from the NIH:
Induced pluripotent stem cells—Adult cells reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell–like state by being forced to express factors important for maintaining the “stemness” of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Mouse iPSCs were first reported in 2006 (Takahashi and Yamanaka), and human iPSCs were first reported in late 2007 (Takahashi et al. and Yu et al.). Mouse iPSCs demonstrate important characteristics of pluripotent stem cells, including expressing stem cell markers, forming tumors containing cells from all three germ layers, and being able to contribute to many different tissues when injected into mouse embryos at a very early stage in development. Human iPSCs also express stem cell markers and are capable of generating cells characteristic of all three germ layers. Scientists are actively comparing iPSCs and ESCs to identify important similarities and differences.
Bill: I emphatically hope you see that I have tried to be as transparent as possible and am not using any deceit to obscure the situation and smuggle in an immoral practice under the fog of confusion. Above all, I want to honor God by pursuing the truth.”
Robert: I appreciate your transparency and your desire to continue this conversation. Further, as I have caused offense, I ask for your forgiveness for the sake of Christ. By His grace, may all of us join in discovering and proclaiming the truth of the Lord of all Life in this “culture of death.”
