What is a therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning?

Therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning are two different processes related to cloning.

1. Therapeutic Cloning:
Therapeutic cloning, also known as embryo cloning or research cloning, is a technique that involves creating cloned embryos for the purpose of extracting stem cells. These stem cells are pluripotent, meaning they can develop into various types of specialized cells found in the human body. Scientists use these stem cells for research and potential medical applications, such as studying diseases, developing new treatments, or even growing replacement tissues or organs for transplantation.

To understand therapeutic cloning, you need to know the following steps involved:
1. Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT): In this process, the nucleus of an unfertilized egg cell is removed, and the nucleus of a somatic (body) cell from the donor is inserted into the enucleated egg. This creates a cloned embryo with the same genetic information as the donor's somatic cell.
2. Development of Embryo: The cloned embryo is then stimulated to divide and develop further in a laboratory setting.
3. Extraction of Stem Cells: After several divisions, the cloned embryo develops into a blastocyst, consisting of an outer layer called the trophectoderm and an inner cell mass. The inner cell mass contains pluripotent stem cells, which are then harvested for research purposes.

2. Reproductive Cloning:
Reproductive cloning involves creating an identical copy of an organism through cloning. This process aims to produce a fully developed organism with the same genetic information as the donor organism. Famous examples of reproductive cloning include Dolly the sheep and various animals that have been cloned since then.

To understand reproductive cloning, you need to know the following steps involved:
1. Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT): Similar to therapeutic cloning, the nucleus of an unfertilized egg cell is removed and replaced with the nucleus of a somatic cell from the donor. The goal is to create an embryo with the genetic material of the donor.
2. Development and Implantation: After the SCNT, the embryo is placed into a surrogate mother or an artificial environment to develop into a fetus. The development process follows the natural reproductive cycle until birth, resulting in a cloned organism that is genetically identical to the donor.

It's important to note that reproductive cloning raises ethical and practical considerations, and its applications with humans are strictly prohibited in many countries. Therapeutic cloning, on the other hand, focuses on the potential medical benefits of stem cell research.