NATURE’S IN-BUILT FLAWS FRUSTRATE WOULD-BE CLONERS

NEW YORK, September 10, 2002 (LSN.ca) – A study of the genetic makeup of the organs of cloned mice has revealed that genetic flaws—seemingly built in by nature—prevent most cloned embryos from developing into viable, healthy live mice.  The study, by Dr. Rudolf Jaenisch, professor of biology at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), found that as many as one in 25 genes in a clone’s placenta seem to be abnormal, according to findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  Jaenisch and colleagues undertook the review because so many cloned embryos die either before they are born or shortly after birth. He said: “I believe that all clones may have abnormalities but to different extents. … The ones that survive have less severe abnormalities and that is why they survive.” Significantly, Jaenisch added: “We have seen abnormal gene expression in all newborn clones. ‘Reprogramming errors’ [sic] may reveal a serious biological barrier to cloning.”  For more details on the technique see:  https://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=571&ncid=751&e=7&u=/nm/20020909/hl_nm/gene_flaws_dc   To read the original article watch the following site for publication:  https://www.pnas.org/