Oregon Health & Science University wins breakthrough stem-cell patent; ethics of cloning debated
By Nick Budnick,
The Oregonian
| 11. 02. 2011
Oregon Health & Science University's patent on a procedure to clone stem cells caps off a decade of work for Shoukhrat Mitalipov and his research team at OHSU's primate center.
The 2007 discovery, ranked by TIME Magazine one of the top two research advances of the year, now can be commercialized. Over the long-term, observers say, it could lead to the genetic engineering of human beings. But OHSU's announcement yesterday focused on short-term health gains.
“We believe our procedure has several advantages over other methods in developing new treatments for diseases such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, cardiac disease and spinal cord injuries,” said Mitalipov, an associate scientist in the Division of Reproductive Sciences. “For instance, because we transform a person’s own cells, there are no issues of rejection when the stem cells are transplanted back into a patient.”
What follows are links tracking the patent announcement, the earlier news and the resulting ethical debate over human cloning.
OHSU's Shoukhrat Mitalipov, Ph.D., discusses newly developed gene therapy method (OHSU via Youtube.com)
Scientists use monkey clones to extract stem cells (New York...
Related Articles
By Gina Kolata, The New York Times | 06.20.2025
A single infusion of a stem cell-based treatment may have cured 10 out of 12 people with the most severe form of type 1 diabetes. One year later, these 10 patients no longer need insulin. The other two patients need...
By Christina Jewett, The New York Times | 06.05.2025
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently declared that he wanted to expand access to experimental therapies but conceded that they could be risky or fraudulent.
In a podcast with Gary Brecka, who describes himself as a longevity expert...
By Mike Baker, The New York Times | 02.25.2025
As investigators struggled for weeks to find who might have committed the brutal stabbings of four University of Idaho students in the fall of 2022, they were focused on a key piece of evidence: DNA on a knife sheath that...
By David Jensen, Capitol Weekly | 02.19.2025
California scientists took what looked like an $800 million hit last week in their efforts to develop revolutionary treatments and cures for diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes.
It was a jab from the Trump administration, one that generated apocalyptic...
