BUOYANCY OF STEM CELL RESEARCH

摘要

Now we have stepped into the era of stem cell research in real terms with early news of application of stem cell-based therapy and birth of "cloned human" baby. The stem cell research can be delineated into two ways : one is reproductive cloning ― generating human replica and the other is therapeutic cloning, which could be the answer to our most life-threatening diseases. Nuclear transfer after reprogramming to an enucleated cell from a blastocyst (a stage of embryo development) is the key issue for this research. The property of plasticity and the subsequent utilization of the embryo would determine whether it would be a human replica or it could be used for treatment. Several countries including India actively came forward in this enterprise. The fruits of these endeavours have just started to emerge. We should keep our fingers crossed for our better and healthier future from the benefits of this latest scientific accomplishment.