Marcos Almeyda
Tyler Marsh
Period 1
Genetic Engineering Concept: Organ Cloning
Stage of Life: Beyond
The process of organ cloning is best described by Biotechnology: Changing Life Through Science as therapeutic cloning allows organs to be created from stem cells. The science behind it involves utilizing stem cells to develop certain organ cells for treatment of a disease or injury. These stem cells can be acquired in two different ways. The first way is to take embryonic stem cells from a human embryo. On average, these stem cells are more suitable candidates for therapeutic cloning because they can be altered into many different types of organ cells. The second method is to harvest organ cells from an adult subject. This method is less reliable, but considered more ethical, than embryonic harvesting because adult stem cells can’t develop into as many variations as embryonic stem cells (1). Roughly ¾ of a surveyed American grouped supported organ cloning whereas ¼ thought it was wrong. The cost is still unclear because the engineering concept is so new (2). Judging by the research the first year cost for the organ replacement market would be around $300 billion US dollars (3). It is believed that therapeutic cloning will have a great impact on human science. Organs can be cloned in order to study the effects diseases have on them without the need of animal test subjects. Medicines can be tested on these cloned organs to see how effective they are at curing disease. This cloning can improve human culture as well as science. Patients in need of organ replacements won’t need to wait the weeks it will take to find a donated organ. This increases the chance that these patients will survive. Patients that suffer from faulty organs can have them replaced with healthy and functional organs. This can greatly increase the human lifespan (1). Due to the recent appearance of this field the effects it will have on the economy can be estimates at best. It is believed that more funds will go to the development of stem cell cloning. The donation of organs will become obsolete with organ cloning, so the organ donation market may shrink considerably.
According to the human cloning project, organ cloning would greatly benefit the medical field. Organs cloned from a patient’s own cells won’t be rejected by the patient’s immune system. Organ cloning helps patients who have to wait years for compatible replacement organs to arrive from a donor. Patients don’t have to take the risk of waiting for organ replacements. New organs can also replace diseased or damaged organs. As a benefit to the scientific field, researchers can study the regeneration of organs without having to experiment on harvested organs. Not having to use animal or human test subjects is considered by many to be an improvement in the ethics of science (2). In my opinion, organ cloning will open up a new market area for genetics.
According to the human cloning project, most adult stem cells are limited and unstable. Most organ cloning would rely on stem cells extracted from embryos. Many people believe that this extraction of stem cells is unethical (1). Also, any diseases that the stem cells would have will be transmitted to the cloned organ. A cloned organ must be made out of a healthy stem cell group. This limits the supply of potential cloned organs. Also, organ cloning is quite expensive and a large supply of stem cells is not available(2). In my opinion, organ cloning may cause a dramatic shift in the market. Donating organs is a large market and it may become obsolete with organ cloning. Research for organ cloning is very expensive. Estimates claim that it costs $300 billion worldwide per year (3). There is also the worry that the stem cells will multiply without end and become cancer cells (4).
Interview Questions
Interviewee | Question |
1. A fellow classmate: Sage Ayres | Do you support the use of cloning in order to replace damaged or diseased organs? No, because it could potentially could go wrong which could kill many. Also, could change human life just like designer babies. But might as well try it because lots of people support it. |
2. A fellow classmate: Vinicius Passos | Would you support harvesting embryonic stem cells to clone organs used to study how pathogens affect them? I think that it is ok because the cells are put to good use. The embryonic cells would not be used in a way that is harmful, but harmless. This would be a beneficial thing to do.We can now know how the pathogens affect the organs. |
3. A fellow classmate: Sofia Spendlove | Do you believe that stem cell research is unethical because of claims that we are “playing god?” I think stem cell research is unethical. I think that we should leave what could grow into a human alone. Stem cell research is interesting but in my opinion, should not be played with. |
4. My parents who are medical professionals. | Do you support the use of therapeutic cloning? I support of therapeutic cloning for organ repair and study. |
5. A fellow student: Malin Lindford | In your opinion, how will therapeutic cloning and stem cell research will affect the economy? It will make the cancer treatment centers out of business. |
Reflection
The stage of life that organ cloning is in is Beyond. I do believe that we should re-design this stage of life. Organ cloning can improve the lives of any person who needs functional organs. It will save the diseased and increase the lifespan of the elderly. With proper usage, organ cloning will begin a new age of genetics. Therapeutic cloning can be considered moral because it can save many lives. Cloned organs also eliminate the use of animal or human test subjects. Organ cloning can also be considered unethical. Embryonic stem cells are the best for organ cloning, but many people find that harvesting embryos is unethical. The risks that these stem cells can become cancer cells should also be considered. I believe that organ cloning affects all stages of life. Any person, no matter the age, can get replacement organs suitable for their own bodies. Disease doesn’t care for age and so organ cloning is valuable to all age groups.Resources
"Therapeutic Cloning." Biotechnology: Changing Life Through Science. Detroit: UXL, 2012. Science in Context. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. |
The pros and Cons of Therapeutic Cloning. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://humancloningproject.weebly.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-therapeutic-cloning.html |
Lysaght, M. (2000). Demographic Scope and Economic Magnitude of Contemporary Organ Replacement Therapies, 46(5), 515-521. Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://journals.lww.com/asaiojournal/Abstract/2000/09000/Demographic_Scope_and_Economic_Magnitude_of.1.aspx |
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