What is Cloning, and how will it help us live longer or even become immortal?

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Science fiction has long delved into the ability to create an exact genetic copy or “duplicate” of ourselves, however this article seeks to explore what exactly is the science behind it, and whether or not it could become a reality for humans in the near future.

Cloning is like making a precise genetic photocopy of a living being. Incredibly, scientists have been able to clone animals for decades… remember Dolly the sheep, who was born in 1996? So if its been nearly 30 years since Dolly was born, one would think we must be rather close to being able to clone humans, right? The key to finding the answer really lies in the different type of cloning, which includes gene cloning, reproductive cloning, and therapeutic cloning.

Gene cloning involves replicating specific genes, while reproductive cloning means creating an animal with the same nuclear DNA as one another which are probably the more well-known types of cloning. However, it can be argued that a third type of cloning called therapeutic cloning is the key to revolutionising modern medicine.

What makes therapeutic cloning interesting is that it isn’t about creating a copy of an entire person, but instead about creating embryonic stem cells, which are like 'blank slate' cells that could possibly be turned into any cell in the body. Just imagine the accessibility and lifesaving opportunities for those with critical kidney failure sitting on wait lists in the hope of a donor. Well, through therapeutic cloning, doctors could use a patient’s own cells to grow a new kidney in a lab. This could also potentially reduce the risk of rejection, as the organ would be a perfect match as it is made from the person now receiving it.

Unfortunately, scientists still appear to be in the early stages of research in this field, however, as further technological advances are made, such as developments in artificial intelligence / machine problem solving, are used to aid humans, then it is very plausible in influx of new discoveries could advance modern medicine rapidly.

While scientists appear further down the line with reproductive cloning, this type of cloning does raise some rather significant ethical questions. For example, would it be ethical to bring a human clone into the world, that would have different experiences or a separate consciousness to the person they were cloned from. Also, what happens to the clone when the “genetic donor” is unwell and needs to harvest an organ from the clone? Is that ethical and cruel to the clone who now lives and breathes? Should they not be considered human too, and have the same rights to life?

A further interesting complexity to cloning research that has been recently uncovered involves the effect on Telomeres in the body, which impacts aging. Think of telomeres as kind of protective caps or bookends that prevent our chromosomes from sticking to each other (like caps on shoelaces that prevent the laces from fraying). Telomeres consist of repetitive DNA sequences and proteins that shield the chromosomes from damage during cell division. However, over time telomeres naturally shorten, just like the tips of a shoelace wearing away with each tie. Still, they are very important since they play a critical task in ensuring the stability of genetic material. Each moment a cell divides, the telomeres get a little shorter. When telomeres become too short a cell us unable to divide and then becomes inactive or dies. This is a process closely linked to aging.

Scientists have found that when cloning animals, telomeres have actually been reset to their original length, effectively giving the cell a new lease on life. Therefore, this could also create more opportunities for extending human lives by reversing the effects of aging.

Whilst developments in cloning technology are exciting… aging is not just about cells dying, it is also impacted by genetics, lifestyle, and environment. Simply replacing cells or resetting telomeres might not entirely be the fountain of youth, as aging is also influenced by genetics, lifestyle and the environment around us. However, as new research and innovation comes to the forefront it offers new considerations for how we approach extending our lives.

Therefore, it can be argued that therapeutic cloning may well hold the key to targeted regeneration, and allow humanity to better overcome ethical hurdles, and improve effectiveness of regenerative treatments.