PREPARED BY;SONIYA RADHAKRISHNAN

BIOETHICS RESEARCH WORK ON TOPIC;

“To be or not to be…” In the last fifty years new forms oftechnology have been the center of attention for everyhuman being. It seems that every day scientists come upwith some new, perhaps even controversial, and excitingways to improve the quality of life. These new technologiesaffect every aspect of life, as we know it. One suchtechnology is the research being done in the area ofcloning. Cloning is the production of one or more cells,individual plants, or animals that are genetically identicalto another cell, plant or animal. Although the first stepsforward in cloning have brought a storm of protest, theexperimental research should be studied to prolong theexistence of human life.

Introduction

The term cloning describes a number ofdifferent processes that can be used toproduce genetically identical copies of abiological entity. The copied material,which has the same genetic makeup asthe original, is referred to as a clone.Researchers have cloned a wide range of biological materials, including genes cells tissues and even entire organisms, such as a sheep.

what is cloning?

Bioethics, which is the study of valuejudgments pertaining to human conduct inthe area of biology and includes thoserelated to the practice of medicine, has beenan important aspect of all areas in thescientific field (Bernstein, Maurice, M.D.). Itis one of the factors that says whether or notspecific scientific research can go on, and if itcan, by which rules, regulations andguidelines it must abide by.

Cloning and Bioethics

One of the most recent and controversial issuesfacing our society today is the concept ofcloning. On February 23, 1997, Ian Wilmut, aScottish scientist, along with his colleagues at theRoslin Institute and PPL Therapeutics, announcedto the world that they had cloned a lamb, whichthey named Dolly, after Dolly Parton, from an adultsheep (Mario,Christopher). The two share thesame nucleic DNA, but differ in terms of theirmitochondrial DNA, which is vitally important forthe regulation of the cell.

First cloned lamb ,Dolly

The media and the press ignored this fact,and thus claimed that Dolly and her'mother' were genetically identical, whichsparked a fury of outcry all around theworld. The technique of transferring anucleus from a somatic cell into an egg cellof which the nucleus had been removed,called nuclear transplantation, is anextension of research that had beenongoing for over 40 years.

Up until now, scientists thought that adult cellscould not be "reprogrammed" to behave like afertilized egg and create an embryo, but theevidence obtained by Dolly's success proveotherwise. The issues of cloning have beenaround for a long time, starting with thepublication of Joshua Lederberg's 1966 articleon cloning in the American Naturalist. Thepublic's interest has been perked by many sci-fibooks, films, and movies including AldousHuxley's 1932 novel "Brave New World," 1973's"Sleeper," the 1978 film "The Boys from Brazil".

The public responded to Dolly with a mixture offear and excitement, questioning the benefits andthe disasters that could happen in the future ifresearch was to continue. From a poll taken byMaurice Bernstein, M.D., the results showed that72% of the votes said that cloning should beprohibited by law. They believe that cloning forany reason would be an unethical and immoralthing to do.

A common misconception of cloning is that it is the instantaneous creation of a fully-grown adult from the cells of the individual. Also, that an exact copy, although much younger, of an existing person could be made, reflecting the belief that one's genes bear a simple relationship to the physical and psychological traits that make up a person.

Highly publicized claims, human cloning still appears to be fiction. There currently is no solid scientific evidence that anyone has cloned human embryos..

Have humans been cloned..

In 1998, scientists in South Korea claimed to have successfully cloned a human embryo, but said the experiment was interrupted very early when the clone was just a group of four cells. In 2002, Clonaid, part of a religious group that believes humans were created by extraterrestrials, held a news conference to announce the birth of what it claimed to be the first cloned human, a girl named Eve. However, despite repeated requests by the research community and the news media, Clonaid never provided any evidence to confirm the existence of this clone or the other 12 human clones it purportedly created

Human cloning

Researches hope to use embryonic stem cells,which have the unique ability to generatevirtually all types of cells in an organism, togrow tissues in the laboratory that can beused to grow healthy tissue to replace injuredor diseased tissues. In addition, it may bepossible to learn more about the molecularcauses of disease by studying embryonicstem cell lines from cloned embryos derivedfrom the cells of animals or humans withdifferent diseases.

What are the potential application oftherapeutic cloning.

This is one point that those against cloning are oftenworried about. That the clone would have no soul, nomind, no feelings or emotions of their own, no say inhow their life will be with their destinypredetermined for them, and that each individualclone would not be unique. They are also afraid thatthe clone will not be treated like a person, more like aworthless second copy, or a fill-in for what was therebut now is lost. Although the genes do play animportant part, its the interaction among a person'sgenetic inheritance, their environment, memories,different life experiences, and the process of learningthat results in the uniqueness of each individual(Mario, Christopher).

The risks involved in cloning people as well as animalsare of a much greater magnitude than many peoplerealize. Our society needs to begin weighing in thedangerous consequences before making any solidconclusions, because cloning may wind up costing usmuch more than we bargained for. The most beneficialresult that cloning can present is the ability to createorgans. But, we must realize the risks involved aswell. There would most likely be many failures beforethere were to be even one success, and there is nosubstantial evidence that this would even bepossible. So, the risks seem to greatly outweigh anypossible benefits

What are the potential drawbacks oftherapeutic cloning?

Many researchers think it is worthwhile to explore theuse of embryonic stem cells as a path for treatinghuman diseases. However, some experts are concernedabout the striking similarities between stem cells andcancer cells. Both cell types have the ability toproliferate indefinitely and some studies show thatafter 60 cycles of cell division, stem cells canaccumulate mutations that could lead to cancer.Therefore, the relationship between stem cells andcancer cells needs to be more clearly understood ifstem cells are to be used to treat human disease.

cloning is a carefully regulated technique that is largely acceptedtoday and used routinely in many labs worldwide. However, bothreproductive and therapeutic cloning raise important ethicalissues, especially as related to the potential use of thesetechniques in humans.Reproductive cloning would present the potential of creating ahuman that is genetically identical to another person who haspreviously existed or who still exists. This may conflict with long-standing religious and societal values about human dignity,possibly infringing upon principles of individual freedom, identityand autonomy. However, some argue that reproductive cloningcould help sterile couples fulfill their dream of parenthood.Others see human cloning as a way to avoid passing on adeleterious gene that runs in the family without having to undergoembryo screening or embryo selection.

Ethical issues of cloning.

Therapeutic cloning, while offering thepotential for treating humans sufferingfrom disease or injury, would requirethe destruction of human embryos inthe test tube. Consequently, opponentsargue that using this technique tocollect embryonic stem cells is wrong,regardless of whether such cells areused to benefit sick or injured people.

YEAR;2010-MARCH

Group no; 36