Embryonic Stem Cells Created from Cloned Monkeys

By Anastacia Mott Austin

At yesterday’s annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Australia, a U.S. scientist announced his success at creating stem cells from cloned monkey embryos – something that has never been done in primates.

Shoukat Mitalipov, an assistant professor at the Oregon National Primate Research Center, was able to use what is called "therapeutic cloning" to generate 21 new monkey embryos.

Mitalipov used somatic cell nuclear transfer to remove the nucleus of an existing monkey egg cell and replace it with the nucleus of a monkey skin cell. Once the new cell divided it became an early-stage embryo.

Once the embryos had been created, the scientists could then produce stem cell lines, which can potentially develop into any cell of the body. If the technology could be transferred to humans, it portends great promise for medical advancements. Diseased tissues of the body could be replaced with the patient’s own cloned cells rather than donor tissues. The technique also offers promise for the treatment of heart and brain diseases, and illnesses such as Alzheimer’s.

Said Alan Trounson, stem cell researcher for the Monash University Stem Cell Centre in Australia, "We’ve been looking for this evidence for a long time. It’s important to have this, to know that we can do this, because it may result in a lot of new cell lines that can help us understand some complex diseases."

This development differs from the recent scientific discovery of the ability to transform mouse skin cells into stem cells. In that technique, Dr. Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto, Japan, injected four genes into a mouse skin cell that enabled it to act like a stem cell and develop into different body tissues. Dr. Yamanaka’s method is considered groundbreaking in part because it bypasses the need to use existing embryos – a controversial topic when talking about humans.

Today President Bush followed through on his promise to veto a bill that would have eased restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research, saying "…our conscience calls us to pursue the possibilities of science in a manner that respects human dignity and upholds our moral values."

If yesterday’s discovery could be transferred to humans, current U.S. laws would prevent major funding for it.