Chinese Scientists Reprogram Cells to Create Mice

[kpete]

Source: Wall Street Journal

* JULY 24, 2009

Chinese Scientists Reprogram Cells to Create Mice

By GAUTAM NAIK

Two teams of Chinese researchers working separately have reprogrammed mature skin cells of mice to an embryonic-like state and used the resulting cells to create live mouse offspring.

The reprogramming may bring scientists one step closer to creating medically useful stem-cell lines for treating human disease without having to resort to controversial laboratory techniques. However, the advance poses fresh ethical challenges because the results could make it easier to create human clones and babies with specific genetic traits.

The latest findings are a bit of a surprise, given that Chinese scientists' contribution to lab-based stem-cell research has been modest over the years. However, Chinese scientists have been publishing more basic-research findings than in the past. The country is more known for its growing trade in unproven stem-cell therapies that have attracted patients from around the world. Reports suggest that China's health authorities have moved to regulate such activities.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124839803784477915.html

[hobbit709]

1. Those Godless communists

They're going against the Bible. That's what we're going to hear from the fundies.

And it will be all Obama's fault too.

[Soylent Brice]

2. i, for one, welcome our new chinese mice overlords.

[No Elephants]

7. LOLOL!

[dugaresa]

11. that comment for some reason made my day

[lurky]

3. If this is legit, then it is fantastic.

Forget about cloning mice, this would be like embryonic stem cells without the embryos. You could use your own skin cells to grown new heart/liver/brain tissue, etc.

I'm kind of suspicious, however, since the first result they claim is so amazing and dramatic. Usually, I think you would have a progression, where first they would report the development of the stem cells, then they would experiment with growing various kinds of tissue, then finally someone would try to clone an entire animal. For them to show up out of the blue and say, "Hey look! We made mice out of skin scrapings!" seems a little too much at once. Science is usually more incremental.

[WriteDown]

4. Or you could use your own skin cells....

to create a new YOU. A little creepy :).

[lurky]

6. Definitely creepy...

But I think the whole fear of cloning is a bit overblown.

Unless they clone Cheney, in which case I'm totally against it. :P

[Soylent Brice]

9. been around for 4 years:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/21/AR2005082101180.html

i'm almost positive i saw this posted on DU as well. looking for post now.

on edit: found a couple -

2007:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2326725

2005:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4423157

[dflprincess]

5. Like mice need help producing offspring (eom)

[Posteritatis]

12. There's this thing called proof of concept. (nt)

[dflprincess]

13. It was just an attempt to be funny

I should have added :rofl:

[No Elephants]

8. When I saw the headline, my gut reaction was terror.

So many ethical issues, so many unethical people.

[WriteDown]

10. I look forward to my clone...

I'm hoping he will come to work for me and allow me to stay home and complete the renovations on my house. :)