Cloning research published

Advanced Cell Technology (Worcester, Mass.) published in the Journal of Regenerative Medicine preliminary data from 2 techniques (parthenogenesis and somatic cell nuclear transfer) for manufacturing human embryonic stem cells, although the publication did not address stem cell isolation. With the parthenogenesis technique, Advanced Cell said it activated egg cells without fertilization by sperm. The company said 6 human blastocysts were successfully developed after 22 eggs were parthenogenically activated.

Also, Advanced Cell used somatic cell nuclear transfer on 19 eggs to produce preimplantation embryos. In the paper, 7 somatic nuclei showed evidence of returning to an embryonic state, as measured by pronuclear development (which the company said is observed only in the fertilized egg) and 3 eggs entered early embryonic development but only to the 6-cell stage. ...