Due to the controversy of using/harvesting real human embryonic stem cells (hESC), the process during which a human embryo is destroyed, other alternatives have been investigated and utilized in treatment so far. Now scientists from Oregon Health and Science University managed to produced viable hESCs from Adult DNA introduced to a blank egg (without DNA content), hence avoiding the destruction of a potential human being conceived in vivo or in vitro.
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| Stem cell |
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| Mature stromal cell |
The benefit of hESCs is their ability to grow into ANY fully functional tissue type (pluripotency), whereas adult stem cells (SCs), induced SCs and other SCs types can usually mature only in a handful of different adult cell types and often only to some degree (not 100% functional match to the desired tissue type).
The major Added Value of cloned hESCs over non clonal hESCs is the usage of an arbitrary adult DNA, e.g. patients own (hence the clone), and therefore clonal hESCs do not create problems of rejection by patient's immune system.
The main issue of hESCs now remains the great tendency of forming non cancerous tumors /teratomas (e.g. one can grow a tooth bundled with some liver tissues in ones eye). Also some may consider the potential for cloning a human being a problem ^_^
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