Also known as Nuclear Replacement, or therapeutic cloning, this method for producing stem cells is done through:
1. Isolating both an egg cell and a somatic body cell, such as a skin cell.
2. Removing the nucleus from the egg cell and injecting the empty egg cell with the nucleus from the somatic body cell.
3. Inducing the injected egg to divide through chemicals to mirror cellular events during egg fertilization.
4. Once the egg enters the blastocyst stage, having a few hundred cells, embryonic stem cells can be derived from the egg, which are identical to the cells of the donor.
However, actual fertilization does not occur in this process, neither does pregnancy. This leads to a more conservative and ethical standing, and is eligible for more funding. In addition, the stem cells created from nuclear replacement are immune to rejection and/or immunosuppression because these stem cells are derived from the original donor themselves, thus showing great promise for future therapies. In addition to providing medical therapies and treatments, nuclear transfer cells can also be created from cells with disease, to be studied for a better understanding of the disease, leading to more cures and treatments.
VIDEO 17: This short video shows how the Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer is executed.
SCNT