Question

What are some reasons for wanting to be able to clone from DNA?

Answer 1

Cloning for medical purposes has the potential to benefit large numbers of people. How might cloning be used in medicine?

Cloning animal models of disease

Much of what researchers learn about human disease comes from studying animal models such as mice. Often, animal models are genetically engineered to carry disease-causing mutations in their genes. Creating these transgenic animals is a time-intensive process that requires trial-and-error and several generations of breeding. Cloning could help reduce the time needed to make a transgenic animal model, and the result would be a population of genetically identical animals for study.

Cloning to make stem cells

Stem cells build, maintain, and repair the body throughout our lives. Because these are processes that stem cells do naturally, they can be manipulated to repair damaged or diseased organs and tissues. But stem cells transferred from one person to another (such as in a bone marrow transplant) are seen as foreign, and they usually trigger an immune response.

Some researchers are looking at cloning as a way to create stem cells that are genetically identical to an individual. These cells could then be used for medical purposes, possibly even for growing whole organs. And stem cells cloned from someone with a disease could be grown in culture and studied to help researchers understand the disease and develop treatments.

In 2013, scientists at Oregon Health and Science University were the first to use cloning techniques to successfully create human embryonicstem cells. The donor DNA came from an 8-month-old with a rare genetic disease.

Answer 2

Cloning is the process of producing genetically identical individuals of an organism either naturally or artificially. In nature, many organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. Cloning in biotechnology refers to the process of creating clones of organisms or copies of cells or DNA fragments (molecular cloning). Beyond biology, the term refers to the production of multiple copies of digital mediaor software.

The term clone, invented by J. B. S. Haldane, is derived from the Ancient Greek word κλώνklōn, "twig", referring to the process whereby a new plant can be created from a twig. In botany, the term lusus was traditionally used. In horticulture, the spelling clon was used until the twentieth century; the final ecame into use to indicate the vowel is a "long o" instead of a "short o]  Since the term entered the popular lexicon in a more general context, the spelling clone has been used exclusively.