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The status of human nuclear transfer

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abstract

Human therapeutic cloning is a recently emerged application of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), which is currently being performed to produce patient-specific stem cell lines for future stem cell therapies. The advantages in producing human nuclear transfer (NT) embryos to derive NT stem cell lines are that these can be tailor-made (i.e., are autologous in nature) for the patient and may overcome the need to administer life-long immunosuppression following stem cell transplantation. Although the rationale for using NT embryos is not for reproductive purposes, human NT remains clouded in ethical, moral, and religious controversies. The recent retraction of high-impact factor publications in the field of human NT from a research group in South Korea has placed stem cell research in a delicate situation. These heavily publicized issues may hinder the progress of this research and may threaten to bring current research to a complete halt. This review outlines the recent status of human NT, its continuing progress and the difficulties the field faces. Of most concern are the ethical issues, which surround obtaining human oocytes for research. Recent evidence suggests that failed-to-fertilize oocytes are poor sources for human SCNT, but obtaining fresh, viable oocytes may be even more problematic. The current status of human SCNT is outlined in this review with particular reference made to, lessons learnt from animal research, the oocyte dilemma and optimization of human NT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuronal Survival Unit, Wallenberg Neuroscience Centre, Department of Physiological Sciences, Lund University, BMC A10, Lund, Sweden

    Vanessa J. Hall

  2. Cellular Reprogramming Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, 46013, Valencia, Spain

    Miodrag Stojkovic

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  1. Vanessa J. Hall
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  2. Miodrag Stojkovic
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Correspondence to Miodrag Stojkovic.

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Hall, V.J., Stojkovic, M. The status of human nuclear transfer. Stem Cell Rev 2, 301–308 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02698057

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