This is the process by which an embryo is created through nuclear transfer in
order to obtain stem cells from it for therapeutic purposes. Thus, therapeutic
cloning uses cloning technology to develop stem cells for research - and ultimately
for therapy.
The goal of therapeutic cloning is to produce human stem cells and subsequent
tissues and organs, which can be used to replace damaged tissue. Here, the nucleus
of the egg cell is replaced with the nucleus of another cell from the body and
the egg cell is allowed to grow for about 4-5 days and develop to the blastocyst
stage. The inner cell mass of the blastocyst is then removed and used for the
creation of an embryonic stem cell line that has the genetic makeup of the donated
nucleus.
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Therapeutic cloning thus allows the production of cells
and tissues that would match each individual patient, as the donated
nucleus would come from the patients themselves. It ensures that the
stem cells genetically match the patient - and are therefore not rejected.
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