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Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (Therapeutic Cloning)

			Related Resources Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research NIH Stem Cell Information National Academy of Sciences on Stem Cell Research Institute of Medicine Guidelines on Stem Cell Research AAMC Documents April 9, 2007 AAMC Letter in Support of the “Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007” (S. 5) AAMC Workshop Summary, "Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Regulatory and Administrative Challenges," November 2006

Cloning is the creation of multiple copies of a single molecule, cell, or virus. There are many different kinds of cloning, most of which are now commonplace in science. Cloning has allowed scientists to develop powerful new drugs and to produce insulin and useful bacteria in the lab. It also allows researchers to track the origins of biological weapons, catch criminals and free innocent people, and produce new plants and livestock to feed an undernourished world population.

Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) or therapeutic cloning involves removing the nucleus of an unfertilized egg cell, replacing it with the material from the nucleus of a "somatic cell" (a skin, heart, or nerve cell, for example), and stimulating this cell to begin dividing. Once the cell begins dividing, stem cells can be extracted 5-6 days later and used for research. The AAMC supports on-going research into SCNT and has endorsed legislation that would allow such research to flourish.

Reproductive cloning, on the other hand, is intended to create human beings by cloning human embryos. The AAMC and the National Academy of Sciences recommend a ban on all forms of this type of cloning.

Congressional Action

Congressional interest in issues related to human cloning remains high. In the past few years, a number of hearings have been held on the issue and several bills have been introduced in Congress.

The only legislative vote on cloning took place in the 107th Congress. On July 31, 2001, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2505, introduced by Reps. Dave Weldon (R-Florida) and Bart Stupak (D-Michigan), by a vote of 265 to 162 after rejecting an alternative bill (H.R. 2608) crafted by Reps. Jim Greenwood (R-Pennsylvania) and Peter Deutsch (D-Florida) by a vote of 178 to 249. The major difference between the proposals was that the Weldon-Stupak bill would have banned all human cloning (whether for reproductive or research/therapeutic purposes) while the Greenwood-Deutsch bill would have only prohibited cloning intended to create a human being. Supporters of the Greenwood-Deutsch bill feared that an all-out ban on cloning research would also impede research using pluripotent human embryonic stem cells. The AAMC endorsed an earlier version of the Greenwood-Deutsch bill (H.R. 2172) on June 27, 2001. The Senate did not consider the bills and they died at the end of the 107th Congress.

In the 109th Congress, several bills related to cloning have been introduced, but none has seen action. The most prominent bills are S. 876, the Human Cloning Ban and Stem Cell Research Protection Act of 2005, introduced by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and H.R. 1822 introduced by Representative Mary Bono (R-California). S. 876 currently has 12 cosponsors and H.R. 1822 has 5 cosponsors. Neither bill is expected to see action during this Congress.

As introduced, the bills prohibit: (1) conducting or attempting to conduct human cloning; (2) shipping the product of nuclear transplantation in interstate or foreign commerce for the purpose of human cloning in the United States or elsewhere; or (3) exporting to a foreign country an unfertilized blastocyst if such country does not prohibit human cloning. The bills set forth criminal and civil penalties for violations. The bills would further require that research involving nuclear transplantation be conducted in accordance with applicable Federal regulations regarding the protection of human subjects and Institutional Review Boards. The bills would prohibit: (1) a somatic cell nucleus from being transplanted into a human oocyte (egg) that has undergone or will undergo fertilization; (2) an unfertilized blastocyst from being maintained after more than 14 days from its first cell division, not counting storage times at temperatures less than zero degrees centigrade; (3) an oocyte from being used in nuclear transplantation research unless donated voluntarily with the donor's informed consent; (4) a human oocyte or unfertilized blastocyst from being acquired, received, or transferred for valuable consideration in interstate commerce; and (5) nuclear transplantation in a laboratory in which human oocytes are subject to assisted reproductive technology treatments or procedures. The bills set forth stringent civil penalties for violations.

Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) has introduced legislation, S. 658, the Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2005, which would outlaw both human reproductive and therapeutic cloning. A similar bill, H.R. 1357, introduced by Representative Dave Weldon (R-Florida), is pending in the House.

AAMC Activity

AAMC President Jordan Cohen, M.D., on January 15, 2003, wrote Senator Orrin Hatch endorsing his Human Cloning Ban and Stem Cell Research Protection Act. Dr. Cohen wrote, "The AAMC joins with you in strongly opposing human reproductive cloning. To expose any person to the known risks and uncertainties involved in reproductive cloning would be unethical and unconscionable. However, it is important to recognize, as your bill does, the difference between reproductive cloning and the scientific potential of therapeutic cloning and regenerative medicine. Your bill will allow this potentially life-saving research to move forward."