About Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT)
What is Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer?
SCNT is a recent medical breakthrough that provides a way to use a patient's own cell and a donated, unfertilized human egg to make ES cells in a lab dish that will match the patient's genetic makeup. These stem cells, or specialized cells made from them, could then be transplanted into the patient's body to cure a disease or injury by generating healthy new cells and tissues, such as heart, muscle or nerve cells.
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How can SCNT be used to make stem cells?
The specialized cells that make up our bodies such as heart, muscle, skin and nerve cells are called somatic cells. To make stem cells using the SCNT process, medical researchers will take the nucleus from a patient's somatic cell, like a skin cell, and transfer it into a donated, unfertilized egg cell that has had its own nucleus removed. The nucleus in the patient’s cell contains the patient’s DNA, or genetic material, which is unique to every person. The "nuclear transfer" process essentially reprograms the nucleus from the patient's cell and causes it to produce unspecialized ES cells in a lab dish. Back »
What’s the special importance of stem cell research involving SCNT?
Because stem cells made with the SCNT process will be pluripotent ES cells, they will have the potential to turn into any cell or tissue in the human body. In addition, because SCNT stem cells will be made with the patient's own DNA, they will match the patient’s genetic makeup. As a result, SCNT stem cells will avoid the need to find a genetically matching donor and the problem of immune system rejection two limitations associated with both donated adult stem cells and ES cells from leftover fertility clinic embryos. This means that SCNT stem cells could provide cures for diseases and injuries that cannot be cured with adult stem cells or with ES cells from leftover fertility clinic embryos. Back »
Is SCNT the same thing as cloning a human being?
No. The medical purpose of SCNT is to make lifesaving stem cells not babies. The use of SCNT to make stem cells for medical treatments is sometimes called "therapeutic cloning" because it will involve copying, or cloning, genetic material from a patient's cell to make lifesaving stem cells that match the patient's genetic makeup and avoid transplant rejection problems. Scientists already clone cells and genes for a number of existing medical purposes, such as developing new therapeutic drugs, creating insulin and replacing the skin of burn victims. "Human cloning" or "cloning a human being" which has never been done and may not even be scientifically possible would involve creating a "duplicate" human being by implanting a cloned embryo into a woman's uterus to make a baby. Creating a duplicate human being would be what is sometimes called "reproductive cloning." The Stem Cell Amendment in the Missouri Constitution only allows SCNT to be used to create stem cells in a lab dish. It prohibits any attempt to clone a human being.
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Does the Missouri Constitution totally ban cloning a human being?
Yes. Missouri is now a leader in banning the cloning or the attempted cloning a human being. The Stem Cell Amendment clearly and strictly prohibits any attempt to create a duplicate human being and makes cloning or attempting to clone a human being a felony crime subject to a prison term of up to 15 years and a fine of up to $250,000. Opponents of stem cell research make the misleading claim that producing stem cells in a lab dish with the SCNT process is the same thing as "human cloning." Medical researchers, patient advocates and most other people disagree with that claim and understand that "human cloning" means creating a duplicate human being not making stem cells in a lab dish. The Missouri Constitution totally prohibits any attempt to use SCNT to clone a human being and create a human version of Dolly the Sheep.
To learn more about Missouri’s ban on human cloning, please visit our page explaining the Stem Cell Amendment’s strict ban on the cloning of a human being. Back »
What kinds of diseases and injuries could be cured by SCNT?
Medical researchers believe that SCNT could lead to cures for many currently incurable or common diseases and injuries, including diabetes, Parkinson's, MS, cancer, heart disease, ALS, sickle cell disease, spinal cord injury and dozens of other debilitating medical conditions. For more examples, please see the "Diseases and Injuries" section of our website. Back »
How could SCNT provide cures for diseases and injuries?
Most diseases and injuries involve defective or damaged cells and tissue. SCNT provides a way to make patient-specific stem cells that could be transplanted into a patient's body to generate the type of cells and tissues needed to cure the patient's disease or injury. For example, juvenile diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas. SCNT could solve this problem by providing a way to generate healthy new islet cells. Many neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's and ALS, are caused by the loss or destruction of nerve cells. SCNT could be used to generate new nerve cells that could cure such diseases and could someday be used to repair spinal cord injuries, allowing people who are paralyzed by accidents to walk again. Back »
Are there other ways that SCNT can help lead to new cures?
Yes. SCNT has also given medical researchers a new way to grow and study cells that have the defects associated with a disease in a laboratory setting. This use of SCNT provides medical researchers with new ways to study how human cells develop and how diseases progress at the cellular level. In addition, SCNT provides a new way to test the safety and effectiveness of drugs or other treatments that may cure or slow the progress of the disease before those treatments are tested in human clinical trials. Back »
How many people could benefit from SCNT research?
Current medical statistics indicate that tens of millions of Americans including hundreds of thousands of Missouri children and adults suffer from diseases and injuries that could benefit from SCNT research and therapies. One recent study estimated that over half of all Missouri families include a child, parent or grandparent who suffers from a medical condition that could benefit from SCNT. (A copy of the Missouri SCNT Study is available by clicking here.) Back »
Who supports SCNT?
Because of its potential to cure diseases and save lives, SCNT research is strongly supported by the overwhelming majority of medical researchers, including more than 60 Nobel Prize winning scientists; by many major medical organizations, like the American Medical Association, National Medical Association, American Association for Cancer Research and American Association of Neurological Surgeons; by dozens of disease foundations and patient groups, like the American Diabetes Association, Christopher Reeve Foundation, Hereditary Disease Foundation, Jack Orchard ALS Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, Lance Armstrong Foundation, National Council on Spinal Cord Injury, National Parkinson Foundation, National Prostate Cancer Coalition and Parkinson’s Action Network; and by leading patient advocates, like Michael J. Fox and Nancy Reagan. Back »
Are the stem cells made with the SCNT process the same thing as an embryo?
No. The stem cells made with SCNT are a microscopic group of a few dozen undifferentiated cells in a lab dish. SCNT stem cells are made with the DNA from a patient’s own cell, like a skin cell, and a donated, unfertilized egg that has had its own nucleus removed. SCNT does not involve the fertilization of an egg by a sperm and its medical uses do not involve the implantation of a fertilized egg or anything else into a woman’s uterus. Back »
Where will scientists get human eggs for SCNT research and cures?
The Missouri Constitution requires that any human eggs used for stem cell research and cures must be voluntarily donated with informed consent, documented in writing. For example, a woman could chose to donate an egg to help cure her child, another family member, a friend or herself. The Initiative strictly bans buying or selling human eggs. These requirements are in keeping with the ethical guidelines for stem cell research recommended by the National Academy of Sciences and adopted by a number of other states and countries. The medical procedures involved in having a woman donate eggs for SCNT are the same as those that have been used for 25 years at fertility clinics. As SCNT research moves ahead, part of the research will focus on learning to use the fewest possible number of donated eggs. Ultimately, SCNT research has the potential to lead to cell reprogramming techniques that won't even require eggs. Back »
Where can I find more information about SCNT?
To get more facts about SCNT, please see the "Diseases and Injuries" section of our Web site. Back »
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