Sacred Heart UniversityDigitalCommons@SHU

Academic Festival

Apr 20th, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

The Ethical and Scientific Debate Behind HumanReproductive Cloning by Somatic Cell NuclearTransferAshley MarxSacred Heart University

Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/acadfest

This Poster is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@SHU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Academic Festival by anauthorized administrator of DigitalCommons@SHU. For more information, please contact ferribyp@sacredheart.edu, lysobeyb@sacredheart.edu.

Marx, Ashley, "The Ethical and Scientific Debate Behind Human Reproductive Cloning by Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer" (2018).Academic Festival. 2.https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/acadfest/2018/all/2

Conclusion/Future Directions-There are many valid arguments for and against human reproductive cloning.However, I have to argue against human reproductive cloning due to the factthat human reproductive cloning produces an organism unnaturally withoutusing the DNA from two individuals. Rather, human reproductive cloning takesthe DNA only from the parent, which produces an identical person to theparent.-In order to prohibit the need for human reproductive cloning, future stepsshould include determining a way to increase the success rate of in-vitrofertilization and freezing eggs of women early on in their lifetime in order topreserve their eggs in case they become infertile later in life

AbstractAll humans have an innate need to reproduce, and therefore an innate need to

engage in sexual activity (Benagiano, Carrara and Filippi 2010). However, reproduction today can and is frequently achieved without sexual intercourse

(Benagiano, Carrara and Filippi 2010). Human reproductive cloning provides an alternate route for those who have tried assisted reproductive techniques, like in-vitro fertilization or oocyte donation, with no success. Somatic cell nuclear

transfer and embryo splitting have both been explored as a means to accomplish reproductive cloning in animals, yet, the health risks associated with

using these modern technological techniques remains virtually unknown (Montazer-Torbati et al 2016; Nie et al 2017; Oh et al 2015; Secher et al 2017). In addition, the potential ethical effects that human reproductive cloning can

have upon the resulting clones is also in question (Mameli 2007; Shapshay2012). Human reproductive cloning can lead down a dangerous path of

reducing humans to an object to be used for the sole purpose of benefitting their parent (Shapshay 2012). Additionally, human reproductive cloning can cause the resulting clones to feel as if their individuality is in question due to

the fact that they will share their DNA with another already existing individual (Mameli 2007). Nevertheless, proponents of human reproductive cloning have

argued that the right to self-determination will prevent the clones produced using this method from feeling that their autonomy has been undermined using

research investigating the opinions of monozygotic twins on this topic (Havastad 2010; Prainsack, Cherkas, and Spector 2007). Evidentially, human reproductive cloning has been highly debated in today’s society due to the scientific and ethical aspects that could occur as a result. Considering the

potential risks that human reproductive cloning can have upon not only the resulting individual but also society as a whole, human reproductive cloning

should be prohibited. Future research should be conducted investigating possible alternate assisted reproductive techniques with higher success rates,

views of monozygotic twins on human reproductive cloning, and health risks on animals cloned using somatic cell nuclear transfer.

Background Research-In 1979, researchers cloned a mouse using the process of embryo splitting within a test tube, which was followed by implanting the resulting embryos into the uterus of an adult female mouse (“Cloning Fact Sheet,” 2017)-Embryo splitting is similar to how monozygotic twins are produced, but instead of it being a natural process that occurs within the womb, embryo splitting is artificial and occurs either in a test tube or a petri dish (“Cloning Fact Sheet,” 2017)-- Not long after the mouse was successfully produced using embryo splitting, the first genetically identical cows, sheep and chickens were produced by transferring an early embryonic nucleus into an oocyte that has been enucleated, hence pioneering the start of nuclear transfer methods (“Cloning Fact Sheet,” 2017)-It was not until Dolly the Sheep in 1996 that somatic cell nuclear transfer came into play. -Since the birth of Dolly, many other mammals like cats, deer, dogs, horses, mules, ox, rabbits, and rats have been successfully produced using somatic cell nuclear transfer methods (“Cloning Fact Sheet,” 2017)-Although a variety of different mammals have been produced using somatic cell nuclear transfer, human reproductive cloning has not been attempted as of yet (“Cloning Fact Sheet,” 2017).-One of the reasons that humans have not yet been cloned is due to the fact that somatic cell nuclear transfer for humans and primates is extremely difficult scientifically, which is mainly because of the positioning of spindle proteins in humans and primates during reproduction (“Cloning Fact Sheet,” 2017). --Even though enucleating the oocyte of primates is challenging, it has been accomplished. In 2018, China successfully cloned two macaque monkeys by using somatic cell nuclear transfer. These monkeys are living healthy within an incubator at 6 and 8 weeks old (“Monkey Clones Created in the Lab. Now What?,” 2018).sue was determined

Arguments Supporting HRC-All humans are granted the right to reproductive freedom (Havastad 2010).-The right to reproductive freedom grants an individual the right to use any technological means, including in-vitro fertilization, oocyte donation, or cloning in order to reproduce (Havastad 2010)-All humans are granted the right of self-determination (Havastad 2010)-The right of self-determination grants an individual the right to determine his/her own self (Havastad 2010)--it is very likely that the resulting individual would be more prone to rebel against a life approached in the same exact way as their parent since they may already have feelings of their life being predetermined (Mameli 2007)-Those with infertility issues can turn to cloning in order to produce an individual that is genetically related to them (Havastad 2010)

Arguments Opposing HRC-Benefits resulting from natural selection are reversed (Ayala 2015). Human reproductive cloning can increase the amount of genetic disorders present within the population if the parent has a genetic disorder (Ayala 2015). –-Since the resulting individual from human reproductive cloning has the same exact genome as the parent, the autonomy (freedom from external influence, lack of individuality) of the cloned individual will be undermined (Mameli 2007)-Resulting individual can be reduced to an object to be used and a product that was produced solely for the benefit and desires of the parent (Shapshay 2012)-Genetic relation of resulting individual to parent (same exact genome) is unethical and peculiar in comparison to normal reproduction (Sparrow 2009) -There is a potential risk of resulting cloned individual having detrimental health effects (Montazer-Torbati et al 2016)

Ashley Marx

Mentor: Dr. Thomas Terleph, PhD

Department of Biology, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT

References-Ayala FJ. 2015. Cloning humans? Biological, ethical, and social considerations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112(29): 8879-8886.-Benagiano G, Carrara S, Filippi V. 2010. Social and ethical determinants of human sexuality: The need to reproduce. Minerva Ginecologica 64(4):349-359.-Cloning Fact Sheet. [Internet]. 2017. National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). [cited 2018 Mar 30]. Available from https://www.genome.gov/25020028/cloning-fact-sheet/-Havastad JC. 2010. Human Reproductive Cloning: A Conflict Of Liberties. Bioethics 24(2):71–77.-Mameli M. 2007. Reproductive cloning, genetic engineering and the autonomy of the child: the moral agent and the open future. Journal of Medical Ethics 33(2):87–93.-Monkey Clones Created in the Lab. Now What? [Internet]. 2018. National Geographic. [cited 2018 Mar 30]. Available from https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/monkey-clones-dolly-sheep-china-medicine-science/-Montazer-Torbati F, et al. 2016. Differences during the first lactation between cows cloned by somatic cell nuclear transfer and noncloned cows. Journal of Dairy Science 99:4778–4794.-Nie J-Y, et al. 2016. Successful cloning of an adult breeding boar from the novel Chinese Guike No. 1 swine specialized strain. Biotech 6(2):1-11.-Oh HJ, et al. 2015. Propagation of elite rescue dogs by somatic cell nuclear transfer. Animal Science Journal 87(1):21–26.-Prainsack B, Cherkas L, Spector T. 2007. Attitudes towards human reproductive cloning, assisted reproduction and gene selection: a survey of 4600 British twins. Human Reproduction 22(8):2302–2308.-Secher JO, et al. 2017. Evaluation of porcine stem cell competence for somatic cell nuclear transfer and production of cloned animals. Animal Reproduction Science 178: 40-49. -Shapshay S. 2012. Procreative Liberty, Enhancement and Commodification in the Human Cloning Debate. Health Care Analysis 20:356–366.-Sparrow R. 2009. Therapeutic Cloning and Reproductive Liberty. Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 34:102–118.-Sutovsky P. 2007. Nuclear remodeling and nuclear reprogramming for making transgenic pigs by nuclear transfer. In: Somatic cell nuclear transfer. New York: Springer Science. p. 1-3.-Tachibana M, et al. 2013. Human embryonic stem cells derived from somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Cell 153(6):1228-1238.-The Life of Dolly. Dolly the Sheep. [Internet]. [cited 2018 Mar 30]. Available from http://dolly.roslin.ed.ac.uk/facts/the-life-of-dolly/index.html-Vogel G, et al. [Internet]. 2017. Exchange of DNA Between Egg Cells May Help Prevent Mitochondrial Diseases. Science | AAAS. [cited 2018 Apr 2]. Available from http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2012/10/exchange-dna-between-egg-cells-may-help-prevent-mitochondrial-diseases.

Thesis StatementConsidering the potential risks that human reproductive cloning can

have upon not only the resulting individual but also society as a whole, human reproductive cloning should be prohibited.

Introduction-Human reproductive cloning (HRC) is a method of reproduction that clones the genome of an already existing human by means of modern technology (Prainsack., Cherkas and Spector 2007).-The modern technology I focused on in my paper is somatic cell nuclear transfer-Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) refers to the process of taking the nuclei from a somatic cell and putting it into the cytoplasm of either an enucleated oocyte, as in the case of human reproductive cloning or a human embryonic stem cell as in the case of therapeutic cloning (Sutovsky 2007)-Therapeutic cloning is different from human reproductive cloning in that it uses this modern SCNT technology as therapy for the particular donor’s disease (Sparrow 2009)

The Ethical and Scientific Debate Behind Human

Reproductive Cloning by Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

1

Marx: The Ethical and Scientific Debate Behind Human Reproductive Cloni

Published by DigitalCommons@SHU, 2018