Stem Cell Clinic

Artificial Mouse Embryo Created in Culture – Technology Networks

By Embryonic Stem Cells

Stem cell-modelled embryo at 96 hours (left); Embryo cultured in vitro for 48 hours from the blastocyst stage (right) Credit: Sarah Harrison and Gaelle Recher, Zernicka-Goetz Lab, University of Cambridge

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have managed to create a structure resembling a mouse embryo in culture, using two types of stem cells the bodys master cells and a 3D scaffold on which they can grow.

Understanding the very early stages of embryo development is of interest because this knowledge may help explain why more than two out of three human pregnancies fail at this time.

Once a mammalian egg has been fertilised by a sperm, it divides multiple times to generate a small, free-floating ball of stem cells. The particular stem cells that will eventually make the future body, the embryonic stem cells (ESCs) cluster together inside the embryo towards one end: this stage of development is known as the blastocyst. The other two types of stem cell in the blastocyst are the extra-embryonic trophoblast stem cells (TSCs), which will form the placenta, and primitive endoderm stem cells that will form the so-called yolk sac, ensuring that the foetuss organs develop properly and providing essential nutrients.

Previous attempts to grow embryo-like structures using only ESCs have had limited success. This is because early embryo development requires the different types of cell to coordinate closely with each other.

However, in a study published in the journal Science, Cambridge researchers describe how, using a combination of genetically-modified mouse ESCs and TSCs, together with a 3D scaffold known as an extracellular matrix, they were able to grow a structure capable of assembling itself and whose development and architecture very closely resembled the natural embryo.

Both the embryonic and extra-embryonic cells start to talk to each other and become organised into a structure that looks like and behaves like an embryo, explains Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz from the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, who led the research. It has anatomically correct regions that develop in the right place and at the right time.

Image: Stem cell-modelled embryo at 96 hours (embryonic (magenta) and extra-embryonic (blue) tissue with surrounding extracellular matrix (cyan)). Credit: Berna Sozen, Zernicka-Goetz Lab, University of Cambridge

Professor Zernicka-Goetz and colleagues found a remarkable degree of communication between the two types of stem cell: in a sense, the cells are telling each other where in the embryo to place themselves.

We knew that interactions between the different types of stem cell are important for development, but the striking thing that our new work illustrates is that this is a real partnership these cells truly guide each other, she says. Without this partnership, the correct development of shape and form and the timely activity of key biological mechanisms doesnt take place properly.

Comparing their artificial embryo to a normally-developing embryo, the team was able to show that its development followed the same pattern of development. The stem cells organise themselves, with ESCs at one end and TSCs at the other. A cavity opens then up within each cluster before joining together, eventually to become the large, so-called pro-amniotic cavity in which the embryo will develop.

While this artificial embryo closely resembles the real thing, it is unlikely that it would develop further into a healthy foetus, say the researchers. To do so, it would likely need the third form of stem cell, which would allow the development of the yolk sac, which provides nourishment for the embryo and within which a network of blood vessel develops. In addition, the system has not been optimised for the correct development of the placenta.

Professor Zernicka-Goetz recently developed a technique that allows blastocysts to develop in vitro beyond the implantation stage, enabling researchers to analyse for the first time key stages of human embryo development up to 13 days after fertilisation. She believes that this latest development could help them overcome one of the main barriers to human embryo research: a shortage of embryos. Currently, embryos are developed from eggs donated through IVF clinics.

We think that it will be possible to mimic a lot of the developmental events occurring before 14 days using human embryonic and extra-embryonic stem cells using a similar approach to our technique using mouse stem cells, she says. We are very optimistic that this will allow us to study key events of this critical stage of human development without actually having to work on embryos. Knowing how development normally occurs will allow us to understand why it so often goes wrong.

The research was largely funded by the Wellcome Trust and the European Research Council.

Dr Andrew Chisholm, Head of Cellular and Developmental Science at Wellcome, said: This is an elegant study creating a mouse embryo in culture that gives us a glimpse into the very earliest stages of mammalian development. Professor Zernicka-Goetzs work really shows the importance of basic research in helping us to solve difficult problems for which we dont have enough evidence for yet. In theory, similar approaches could one day be used to explore early human development, shedding light on the role of the maternal environment in birth defects and health.

Reference:

Harrison, S. E., Sozen, B., Christodoulou, N., Kyprianou, C., & Zernicka-Goetz, M. (2017). Assembly of embryonic and extra-embryonic stem cells to mimic embryogenesis in vitro. Science. doi:10.1126/science.aal1810

This article has been republished frommaterialsprovided by the University of Cambridge. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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Artificial Mouse Embryo Created in Culture - Technology Networks

Vet: stem cell technique could revolutionise equine medicine – vet times

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A fast and cost-efficient technique for harvesting stem cells may have the potential to revolutionise the way vets treat orthopaedic conditions in horses.

The regenerative therapy, called Lipogems, uses fat tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells from the tail head of the patient, which is prepared using a stable-side kit, meaning the procedure can be carried out immediately.

Historically, vets wanting to obtain stem cells would have to harvest fat tissue or bone marrow from the patient and send it to a laboratory for the cells to be cultivated and prepared for injection at another consultation a process that could take weeks and delay treatment.

In comparison, Lipogems allows the transplanting of lipoaspirate from fat tissue within 20 to 30 minutes of harvesting, said Lipocast Biotech UK, the company responsible for introducing the technique to the veterinary market for the first time.

Conditions treated to date include lesions of the superficial and deep flexor tendons, suspensory ligament desmitis (proximal, body and branch lesions), check ligament injuries and osteoarthritis affecting distal interphalangeal, fetlock and stifle joints.

Vet Tim Watson, of Waterlane Equine Vets in Gloucestershire, led initial work on the project.

In the past, people have cultured stem cells from fat tissues, but what this technique offers for the first time is the ability to extract stem cells in a quick, easy and relatively cost-effective way, so you can treat the horse immediately, Dr Watson said.

The technique means stem cell cultivation techniques are no longer the preserve of hospitals and laboratories.

Dr Watson said: Vets out on the road can do it. Potentially, it could revolutionise the way we treat orthopaedic conditions in horses.

There is nothing comparable with this technique in the industry.

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Vet: stem cell technique could revolutionise equine medicine - vet times

Cell Death in Gut Implicated in IBD – Cornell Chronicle

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The natural lifecycle of cells that line the intestine is critical to preserving stable conditions in the gut, according to new research led by a Weill Cornell Medicine investigator. The findings may lead to the development of new therapies to alleviate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other chronic inflammatory illnesses.

In the study, published Nov. 9 in Nature, the scientists investigated the healthy turnover of epithelial cells, which are born and die every four to five days, to better understand how the gut maintains a healthy equilibrium. Because cells, called phagocytes, can clear dying cells so quickly in the body, it had been difficult to study this process in tissues. The inability to clear dying cells has been linked to inflammation and autoimmunity. Dying epithelial cells are shed into the gut lumen, so their active clearance is not necessary and they were thought to have no role in intestinal inflammation.

The investigators sought to understand whether phagocytes can take up dying epithelial cells in the gut and, if so, how these phagocytes respond. Specifically, the study tried to ascertain which genes are expressed by phagocytes after the uptake of dead cells. To answer these questions, the scientists engineered a mouse model where they could turn on apoptosis and catch phagocytes in the act of sampling dying cells. Through a series of experiments, they found that several of the genes modulated up or down in phagocytes bearing dead cells overlapped with the same genes that have been associated with susceptibility to IBD.

The mouse model used in the study enables the visualization of a dying red cell within the green fluorescently-labeled small intestinal epithelial cells. The green outline of villi shown delineates the single cell layer of the intestinal epithelium. Cell nuclei are shown in blue. Weill Cornell Medicine investigators tracked dying intestinal epithelial cells into the underlying phagocytes (not visible), and asked how their uptake modulates gene expression in those phagocytes.

The fact that there was an overlap shows that apoptosis must play a role in maintaining equilibrium in the gut, said Dr. Julie Magarian Blander, a senior faculty member in the Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Weill Cornell Medicine who was recently recruited as a professor of immunology from Mount Sinai. This study identified cell death within the epithelium as an important factor to consider when thinking about therapeutic strategies for patients with IBD.

In their experiments, the scientists expressed a green fluorescent protein fused to the diphtheria toxin receptor within intestinal epithelial cells of mice, which made them visible under a microscope and sensitive to diphtheria toxin. They injected into these mice a carefully titrated dose of toxin into the intestinal walls of mice to induce cell death. Then the team examined the phagocytes that turned green after they internalized dead cells. Macrophages, one kind of phagocyte, expressed genes that help process the increased lipid and cholesterol load they acquired from dying cells. Dendritic cells, another type of phagocyte, activated genes responsible for instructing the development of regulatory CD4 T cells, a class of suppressive white blood cells. Notably, both phagocytes expressed a common suppression of inflammation gene signature.

Because the same genes that confer susceptibility to IBD were modulated in response to apoptotic cell sampling, the research indicates that a disruption of the phagocytes immunosuppressive response would have consequences for homeostasis or stable conditions in the gut.

We know there is excessive cell death, inflammation and microbial imbalance in IBD, so the prediction is that the immunosuppressive program in phagocytes, associated with natural cell death in the gut epithelium, would be disrupted, Dr. Blander said. The goal in the treatment of IBD is to enhance healing in the gut, but now we know that this also helps phagocytes restore their immunosuppressive and homeostatic functions. We think this would translate into helping patients stay in remission. Theres a lot to learn from phagocytes and we may be able to target the same pathways they use to suppress inflammation in patients with IBD.

The study validates the importance of healing in the mucosa, or lining, of the intestine as a therapy and enhances the understanding of that process. The next phase of Dr. Blanders research will be to investigate how the inflammatory conditions of IBD alter cell death and the homeostatic immunosuppressive functions of intestinal phagocytes, and to do so in both mouse models and different groups of IBD patients undergoing anti-TNF therapy at the Jill Roberts Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at New York-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine.

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R-Japan Leads Japan’s Regenerative Medicine Technology with … – Business Wire (press release)

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SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--R-Japan, an affiliated company of Nature Cell (KOSDAQ: 007390), announced its business performance for 2016.

In 2016 R-Japan cultured and supplied a total of 1,055.9 billion stem cells for 5 affiliated hospitals including Nishihara Clinic. The company conducted regenerative medical treatment more than 3,500 times and achieved sales of KRW10.4 billion as well as the ordinary profit of KRW1.6 billion.

The patients who received the regenerative medical treatment with stem cells supplied by R-Japan did not have any side effects. This performance of the medical treatment for the past 1 year has been officially reported to Japans Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Moreover, the medical treatments effects regarding degenerative arthritis, critical limb ischemia, autoimmune disease and skin care have been gradually acknowledged. R-Japan reported the number of medical treatments for degenerative arthritis exceeded 650 and the satisfaction regarding its therapeutic effect was very high.

R-Japan is promoting the expansion of affiliated medical institutions in 27 regions including Hokkaido, Kansai, Kyushu, etc., expecting the earnest activation of the stem cell regenerative medical treatment in 2017. Moreover, the company is planning to expand the area of medical treatment to anti-aging and Alzheimers disease. The company expects to perform regenerative medical treatment more than 5,000 times and supply cells which will be worth more than 1.5 trillion won for this year.

From this March, production processes will be allocated to Nature Cell and the affiliated company R Bio, which received permission for manufacturing from Japans Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Japan BioStar Stemcell Research Institute (Director: Jeong-chan Ra) will be established in the KOBE Biomedical Innovation Cluster.

About R-JAPAN

R-JAPAN Co., Ltd. is the advanced biotechnology company specialized in manufacturing mesenchymal stem cells regenerative therapy with stem cell technology of Biostar Stem cell Research Institute in Korea. R-Japans proprietary technology is to isolate, multiply, and store adult mesenchymal stem cells with ensuring genetic integrity. R-Japan currently cultures approximately 1,000 cases per month and has been evaluated by many medical institutions. As a result, R-Japan has been cultured 5,860 billion cells for 24,293 patients since stem cell processing facility was operated.

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R-Japan Leads Japan's Regenerative Medicine Technology with ... - Business Wire (press release)

Stem cell treatment may restore vision to patients with damaged corneas – UGA Today

By Stem Cell Treatment

Athens, Ga. - Researchers working as part of the University of Georgia's Regenerative Bioscience Center have developed a new way to identify and sort stem cells that may one day allow clinicians to restore vision to people with damaged corneas using the patient's own eye tissue. They published their findings in Biophysical Journal.

The cornea is a transparent layer of tissue covering the front of the eye, and its health is maintained by a group of cells called limbal stem cells. But when these cells are damaged by trauma or disease, the cornea loses its ability to self-repair.

"Damage to the limbus, which is where the clear part of the eye meets the white part of the eye, can cause the cornea to break down very rapidly," said James Lauderdale, an associate professor of cellular biology in UGA's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and paper co-author. "The only way to repair the cornea right now is do a limbal cell transplant from donated tissue."

In their study, researchers used a new type of highly sensitive atomic force microscopy, or AFM, to analyze eye cell cultures. Created by Todd Sulchek, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech, the technique allowed researchers to probe and exert force on individual cells to learn more about the cell's overall health and its ability to turn into different types of mature cells.

They found that limbal stem cells were softer and more pliable than other cells, meaning they could use this simple measure as a rapid and cost-effective way to identify cells from a patient's own tissue that are suitable for transplantation.

"Todd's technology is unique in the tiniest and most sensitive detection to change," said Lauderdale. "Just think about trying to gently dimple or prod the top of an individual cell without killing it; with conventional AFM it's close to impossible."

Building on their findings related to cell softness, the research team also developed a microfluidic cell sorting device capable of filtering out specific cells from a tissue sample.

With this device, the team can collect the patient's own tissue, sort and culture the cells and then place them back into the patient all in one day, said Lauderdale. It can take weeks to perform this task using conventional methods.

The researchers are quick to caution that more tests must be done before this technique is used in human patients, but it may one day serve as a viable treatment for the more than 1 million Americans that lose their vision to damaged corneas every year.

The group first started this research with the hope of helping children with aniridia, an inherited malformation of the eye that leads to breakdown of the cornea at an early age.

Because aniridia affects only one in 60,000 children, few organizations are willing to commit the resources necessary to combat the disease, Lauderdale said.

"Our first goal in working with such a rare disease was to help this small population of children, because we feel a close connection to all of them," says Lauderdale, who has worked with aniridia patients for many years. "However, at the end of the day this technology could help hundreds of thousands of people, like the military who are also interested in corneal damage, common in desert conditions."

Steven Stice, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, who plays an important role in fostering cross-interdisciplinary collaboration as director of the RBC, initially brought the researchers together and encouraged a seed grant application through the center for Regenerative Engineering and Medicine, or REM, a joint collaboration between Emory University, Georgia Tech and UGA.

"A culture is developing around seed funding that is all about interdisciplinary collaboration, sharing of resources, and coming together to make things happen," said Stice. "Government funding agencies place a high premium on combining skills and disciplines. We can no longer afford to work in an isolated laboratory using a singular approach."

The REM seed funding program is intended to stimulate new, unconventional collaborative research and requires equal partnership of faculty from two of the participating institutions.

"We tend to get siloed experimentally," says Lauderdale. "To a biologist like me, all cells are very different and all atomic force microscopes are the same. To an engineer like Todd it's just the opposite."

The study, "Cellular Stiffness as a Novel Stemness Marker in the Corneal Limbus," is available at http://www.cell.com/biophysj/fulltext/S0006-3495(16)30771-8.

Funding was provided by an NIH NIGMS Biotechnology Training Grant on Cell and Tissue Engineering, the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, the Center for Regenerative Engineering and Medicine, the Sharon Stewart Aniridia Research Trust and the NSF CMMI division.

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Caroline Wyatt: MS ‘brain fog’ lifted after stem cell treatment – BBC … – BBC News

By Stem Cell Treatment

The Times (subscription)
Caroline Wyatt: MS 'brain fog' lifted after stem cell treatment - BBC ...
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BBC journalist Caroline Wyatt has spoken of how the "brain fog began to lift" after she had pioneering treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). The former BBC ...
BBC reporter hails stem-cell 'cure' for multiple sclerosis | News | The ...The Times (subscription)

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Scientists wage fight against aging bone marrow stem cell niche – Science Daily

By Stem Cell Medical Center

Science Daily
Scientists wage fight against aging bone marrow stem cell niche
Science Daily
In a study published March 2, scientists from the University of Ulm in Germany and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in the United States propose rejuvenating the bone marrow niche where HSCs are created. This could mean younger acting ...

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Scientists wage fight against aging bone marrow stem cell niche - Science Daily

Here’s the Story on US Stem Cell Inc (OTCMKTS:USRM) – Oracle … – The Oracle Dispatch

By Stem Cell Clinic

US Stem Cell Inc (OTCMKTS:USRM) is a micro-cap name thats clearly begun to explode higher in recent days. The company has no clear headline catalyst and no other stem cell stocks are moving at all in recent days. Its a bit of a mystery. However, we can see some clues if we take a closer look at the companys recent headline flow and dig a bit under the surface.

In late January, the companys Chief Scientific Officer, Kristin Comella, published her most recent publication. The piece was titled, Effects of the intradiscal implantation of stromal vascular fraction plus platelet rich plasma in patients with degenerative disc disease. The market reaction was clearly on display. However, the boards seem to suggest something about a lawsuit settlement with a standing issue with Northstar Biotech. It is possible there is something about to break more publicly about a resolution that has some bearing on the prospects for this company. We do not see much out there on it and dont see any clear evidence of promotional activity.

US Stem Cell Inc (OTCMKTS:USRM) trumpets itself as a company committed to the development of effective cell technologies to treat a variety of diseases and injuries. By harnessing the bodys own healing potential, we may be able to reverse damaged tissue to normal function.

U.S. Stem Cells discoveries include multiple cell therapies in various stages of development that repair damaged tissues throughout the body due to injury or disease so that patients may return to a normal lifestyle.

U.S Stem Cell is focused on regenerative medicine. While most stem cell companies use one particular cell type to treat a variety of diseases, U.S Stem Cell utilizes various cell types to treat different diseases. It is our belief that the unique qualities within the various cell types make them more advantageous to treat a particular disease.

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According to company materials, US Stem cell, Inc. (formerly Bioheart, Inc.) is an emerging enterprise in the regenerative medicine / cellular therapy industry. We are focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of cell-based therapeutics that prevent, treat, or cure disease by repairing and replacing damaged or aged tissue, cells, and organs and restoring their normal function. We believe that regenerative medicine / cellular therapeutics will play a large role in positively changing the natural history of diseases, ultimately, we contend, lessening patient burdens, as well as reducing the associated economic impact disease imposes upon modern society.

As noted by the company, the business, which includes three operating divisions (US Stem Cell Training, Vetbiologics, and US Stem Cell Clinic) includes the development of proprietary cell therapy products, as well as revenue generating physician and patient based regenerative medicine / cell therapy training services, cell collection and cell storage services, the sale of cell collection and treatment kits for humans and animals, and the operation of a cell therapy clinic.

Management maintains that revenues and their associated cash in-flows generated from our businesses will, over time, provide funds to support our clinical development activities, as they do today for our general business operations. We believe the combination of our own therapeutics pipeline, combined with our revenue generating capabilities, provides the Company with a unique opportunity for growth and a pathway to profitability.

Traders will note above 1000% during the past month in terms of shareholder gains in the name, a rally that has pushed up against longer standing distributive pressure in the stock. However, USRM has evidenced sudden upward volatility on many prior occasions. Furthermore, the stock has seen an influx in interest of late, with the stocks recent average trading volume running exceeding 610% above its longer-run average levels.

At this time, carrying a capital value in the market of $2.1M, US Stem Cellhas a store ($246K) of cash on the books, which compares with about $3.3M in total current liabilities. One should also note that debt has been growing over recent quarters. USRM is pulling in trailing 12-month revenues of $2.7M. In addition, the company is seeing major top line growth, with y/y quarterly revenues growing at 30.9%. We will update the story again soon as developments transpire. For continuing coverage on shares of $USRM stock, as well as our other hot stock picks, sign up for our free newsletter today and get our next hot stock pick!

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Here's the Story on US Stem Cell Inc (OTCMKTS:USRM) - Oracle ... - The Oracle Dispatch

Stem cells derived neuronal networks grown on a chip as an alternative to animal testing – Science Daily

By Embryonic Stem Cells

Science Daily
Stem cells derived neuronal networks grown on a chip as an alternative to animal testing
Science Daily
In the sudy the researchers demonstrated that neurons differentiated in vitro from mouse embryonic stem cells cultured on multi-electrode arrays (MEAs) can serve as a physiologically relevant cell-based method for detecting BoNT/A holotoxin and complex.

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Stem cells derived neuronal networks grown on a chip as an alternative to animal testing - Science Daily

Facts About Cloning – Live Science

By Embryonic Stem Cells

Dolly the Sheep in a field at The Roslin Institute.

Cloning is the process of taking genetic information from one living thing and creating identical copies of it. The copied material is called a clone. Geneticists have cloned cells, tissues, genes and entire animals.

Although this process may seem futuristic, nature has been doing it for millions of years. For example, identical twins have almost identical DNA, and asexual reproduction in some plants and organisms can produce genetically identical offspring. And scientists make genetic doubles in the lab, though the process is a little different.

There are three different types of cloning, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI):

In gene cloning, a genetic engineer extracts DNA from an organism and then uses enzymes to break the bonds between nucleotides (the basic building blocks of DNA) and snip the strand into gene-size pieces, according to the University of Nebraska.

Plasmids, small bits of DNA in bacterial cells, are combined with the genes. Then, they are transferred into living bacteria. These bacteria are allowed to grow into colonies to be studied. When a colony of bacteria containing a gene of interest is located, the bacteria can be propagated to make millions of copies of the plasmids. Then, the plasmids can be extracted for gene modification and transformation.

Gene modification, or gene design, is when a genetic engineer cuts the gene apart and replaces regions of it with new material. Transformation is the step in which the new genetic material is transferred to a new organism, which changed it genetically. The organism, such as a plant, is grown, and the seeds they produce have inherited the new genetic properties.

Reproductive cloning

In reproductive cloning, a genetic engineer removes a mature somatic cell (any cell except for reproductive cells) from an organism and transfers the DNA into an egg cell that has had its own DNA removed, according to the NHGRI. Then, the egg is jump-started chemically to start the reproductive process. Finally, the egg is implanted into the uterus of a female of the same species as the egg.

The mother gives birth to an animal that has the same genetic makeup as the animals that donated the somatic cell. This was the process that produced Dolly the sheep.

Therapeutic cloning

Therapeutic cloning works in a similar way to reproductive cloning. A cell is taken from an animal's skin and is inserted into the outer membrane of a donor egg cell. Then, the egg is chemically induced so that it creates embryonic stem cells. These stem cells can be harvested and used in experiments aimed at understanding diseases and developing new treatments. [Infographic: How Stem Cell Cloning Works]

The first study of cloning took place in 1885, when German scientist Hans Adolf Eduard Driesch began researching reproduction. In 1902, he was able to create a set of twin salamanders by dividing an embryo into two separate, viable embryos, according to the Genetic Science Learning Center. Since then, there have been many breakthroughs in cloning.

In 1958, British biologist John Gurdon cloned frogs from the skin cells of adult frogs. On July 5, 1996, a female sheep gave birth to the now-famous Dolly, a Finn Dorset lamb the first mammal to be cloned from the cells of an adult animal at the Roslin Institute in Scotland.

"The birth of Dolly and the new understanding of the opportunity to change the functioning of cells made researchers consider other possible ways of modifying cells," Ian Wilmut, the scientist who led the team that created Dolly, told Live Science.

Since Dolly, many more animal clones have been born, and the process is becoming more mainstream. Research has also been conducted on human-cell cloning. In 2013, scientists at Oregon Health and Science University took donor DNA from an 8-month-old with a rare genetic disease and successfully cloned human embryonic stem cells for the first time. Unfortunately, the researchers didn't remove the cells to save the child. The project was to prove that mature donor cells could be used to produce new ones. This research has evolved into using stem cells for many different applications, including hair regrowth, treatments for burns and more.

Several companies are currently providing services that use cloning technology. For example, South Korea-based Sooam Biotech clones pets for around $100,000. And a Texas-based company, Viagen Pets, clones cats for $25,000 and dogs for $50,000.

Even plants are being cloned. One company is cloning maple trees to provide lumber for guitar-makers, with the aim of duplicating a quality in the wood, called figuring, that gives a guitar a sort of shimmering appearance.

There are many other applications for cloning. The movie "Jurassic Park" stirred the public's imagination and asked the question, "Can we use cloning to bring back extinct species through cloning?" For this process to be successful, scientists would need living DNA from the extinct animal and a living animal egg that is closely related to the extinct creature.

On July 30, 2003, a group of scientists led by Jose Folch at the Center of Food Technology and Research of Aragon, in northern Spain, brought back an extinct wild goat called a bucardo, or Pyrenean ibex. The cloned animal lived for only 10 minutes, according to National Geographic, but the scientists proved that an extinct animal could be brought back. Researchers at Harvard are currently working to clone woolly mammoths, and they say they should be able to do so by 2019.

While cloning a human is currently illegal in most parts of the world, cloning stem cells from humans is a very promising field of research. Stem cells can be reprogrammed to become any type of cell needed to repair or replace damaged tissue or cells in the body. Stem cell research has the potential to help people who have spinal injuries and other conditions.

Another area of research, the cloning of hair follicles, began more than a decade ago. It's just one potential application of human-cell cloning: treating hair loss. "We have learned recently that human hair cells lose their potential to multiply when expanded in cell cultures in a petri dish," said Ken L. Williams Jr., a surgeon and founder of Orange County Hair Restoration and author of "Hair Transplant 360: Follicular Unit Extraction" (Jp Medical Ltd., 2015). "Global gene expression analysis of the human hair follicle, however, has revealed that a special 3D spheroid culture may be able to allow cloning of hair cells in the future years. By manipulating the environment that the human hair cells grow, induction or expansion of hair cells occurs."

Another example of practical human-cell cloning is to use stem cells to help burns heal. A biotech company, RenovaCare, has created what it calls the CellMist System. In this process, stem cells are applied to the burned area on the patient, and that application triggers new skin-cell growth. Though it's still experimental, this process could help burn victims heal faster and experience less scarring.

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Facts About Cloning - Live Science

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