When someone uses the term clone, cloned, or cloning. What typically comes to your mind?

1. When someone uses the term clone, cloned, or cloning. What typically comes to your mind?

2. Cloning: • Cloning started back in 1952 when scientist cloned the first animal, a tadpole • The first successful clone was the famous sheep “Dolly” who was cloned in 1996 is an umbrella term used by scientists to describe different processes for duplicating biological material.

3. Three types of cloning • DNA cloning or Recombinant DNA Technology: • Reproductive Cloning • Therapeutic Cloning

4. Reproductive cloning is the type of cloning one thinks of, that is usually in the media. • What are your views on cloning? Is it right to be against one but not the other?

5. DNA cloning or Recombinant DNA Technology: • DNA cloning technology has been around since the early 1970’s • This process involves taking DNA fragments of interest from an organism and in turn place it into a host cell. • Scientist after studying a gene use bacterial plasmids to generate multiple copies of the same gene.

6. DNA cloning, cont. • Scientist are able to clone a gene by isolating it from chromosomal DNA using restriction enzymes. • The purpose of this type of cloning is to isolate a certain gene or create duplicates of a gene that seems to be perfect.

7. Some Radicals • Rael claimed he was abducted by Aliens in the early 70’s who practiced cloning • Since 1973 he has preached cloning, and was able to get many followers called the Raellians. • He formed a company in the Bahamas and started Clonaid, a project to clone humans.

8. Radicals, cont. • One hundred couples signed up immediately, the first were couples who were unable to conceive children together, some infertile, some gay. • Parents that wanted to clone their dying children • Rael charged $200,000 per clone in addition to that the company would charge $50,000 for a service called Insuraclone, just in case a child was later lost to an incurable disease or accident. • Rael soon had over 20 million, enough to hire scientists to begin developing the procedure. Scary!

9. Radicals, cont. • There was also Randolfe Wicker who ran a incorporated clone’s rights center. • Two days after the New York Times announced the cloning of “Dolly”, he began organizing a Clones Rights United Front. • Demonstrations were led, they were also known for carrying signs with slogans that read: • “DOLLY LAMA- OUR NEW SPIRITUAL LEADER” • “CLONING: REPRODUCTION WITHOUT COMPROMISE.” • “CLONE DIANA! ONE GOOD LIFETIME DESERVES ANOTHER!”

10. Reproductive Cloning • Reproductive cloning is a technology used to create an animal with the same nuclear DNA as another currently or previously existing animal. • Dolly was created using this technology; the process is called somatic cell nuclear transfer or SCNT. • The egg containing DNA from the donor cell must then be treated with chemicals or electric current in order for the cells to split or stimulate cell division. • Once the embryo has reached the perfect stage it is transferred to the uterus of a female host where it continues to develop until birth.

11. Repro. Cloning, cont. • Using this technology doesn’t mean that you are going to get an identical clone of the donor animal; only the clone’s chromosomal or nuclear DNA is the same as the donor. • Dolly the first animal to ever be cloned actually died at age 6, February 14, 2003

12. Reflections on reproductive cloning • Now can I see a show of hands? • How many people would choose one of these two methods to create the perfect baby? • How many wouldn’t?

13. Therapeutic Cloning • This type of cloning also known as embryo cloning is the production of human embryos used for research • Goal is to harvest stem cells acquired from embryos • These stem cells can be used to treat certain behaviors or research them and can also be used for curing diseases • Stem cell research is important because maybe one day it could be used to treat cells in the human body that cause cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases.

14. Therapeutic Cloning, cont. • November 2001 in Massachusetts, scientists were able to clone the first human embryos for the purpose of therapeutic cloning. They collected eight eggs from a woman’s ovaries, only three were able to divide and only one was able to divide into six cells before it stopped.

15. Positive aspects of cloning • Recombinant DNA technology is very important when it comes to learning about gene therapy, genetic engineering of organisms, and sequencing genomes. • Reproductive cloning technology can be used to clone animals with certain qualities to treat and study different diseases. It also can be used to repopulate certain endangered animals, even some animals that are almost extinct and some animals that are hard to breed • Therapeutic cloning technology may some day be used on humans to produce whole organs from single cells, or to replace damaged cells in people with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.

16. Negative aspects of cloning • Cloning can be very expensive and highly inefficient • Cloning has a low success rate • Cloned animals tend to have more compromised immune function and higher rates of infection, tumor growth, and other disorders. • It took 276 attempts at cloning, “Dolly” was the only success! • Looking at these factors it would be totally and completely unethical to even make an attempt to clone a human being!