Unit Response Research Organizer:
HAND IN THIS SHEET
Unit: _Genetics_________________
Topic: What levels of cloning should be approved by the Canadian Government? Gene
Cell or organism
Thinking and Investigation
Sub-questions:
Answers to sub-questions:
Citations:
Cloning is a process that produces identical copies of an Dunlop, Jenna. Biology 11. Toronto:
original part of entire organism (184). There are 3 types
McGraw –Hill Ryerson, 2010. Print.
of cloning:
Gene Cloning- manipulating DNA to make several copies
This works by inserting the gene of interest into a
vector (carrier of the gene, and example is bacteria)
and when the vector multiples naturally, it multiplies
the gene as well.
2. Therapeutic Cloning- the cloning of tissues or organs to
treat various diseases
This works by adding a nucleus into a stem cell to
which specializes the cell and makes specialized
tissues or organs.
3. Reproductive Cloning- makes genetically identical
organisms
This works by inserting the nucleus of the parent into
an egg cell and inserting the fertilized egg into a
female.
1.
What is cloning
and how does
1.
it work?
2.
What are
positive
applications of
cloning?
EXAMPLE 1 Regenerative Medicine
● Therapeutic Cloning --> it can save people for
treat diseases or injuries that have to resulted in
the damage or death of cells that can not be
replaced naturally
Example: Brain cells can not be replaced naturally
● Additionally, the specialized cells created can
even into specialized tissue which then create an
organ.
● Important because more than 230 Canadians died
waiting for an organ donation -->every patient will
be able to get organs that they need exactly when
they need them and and the organs will be exact
matches.
EXAMPLE 2 Insulin Production
● Gene cloning can help treat diseases.
Saving Lives, Changing Lives with
Organ Donation.” The Kidney
Foundation of Canada. Government
of Canada, 2012. Web. 5 April 2015.
<http://www.kidney.ca/>.
Canavan, Joan. “Diabetes in Canada:
Facts and figures from a public health
perspective.” Public Health Agency of
Canada. Government of Canada, 2011.
Web. 5 April 2015.
<http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/>.
Food Safety and Health. Is Meat and
Milk Derived from Animal Clones Safe
3.
What are
ethical issues
associated
with Cloning?
Example--> the human protein insulin, can be
manufactured in bacteria by inserting the genetic code for
the production of insulin and having the gene cloned by
the bacteria.--> treats diabetics
● Importance--> There are 2.4 million people with
diabetes and counting, meaning there is a strong
demand for insulin which can be manufactured
quickly using gene cloning.
● Before process to obtain this insulin was harder -> labor intensive and expensive --> there were
only two ways to get it: extracting it from pigs, or
from other people.
EXAMPLE 3 Better Livestock
● If farmers used cloning --> increase in volume of
mass production
● Because the farmers can select to clone their best
of each animal--> disease resistant crops, bigger
and leaner cows, or goats that produce the most
milk
● The farmers will know what exactly there next
generation of livestock and crops will be compared
to natural breeding
● Benefit because consumers can get high quality
ingredients with a low cost because of the
increase in supply (Ingham).
● No need for unnatural chemicals such as
hormones, antibiotics and feed additives
● These chemicals may be harmful in the long term
for the people who eat the livestock
Example-->one growth hormone given to cattle called
Zeranol was added to a tumor and caused the tumor grow
faster
to Consume? University of WisconsinMadison, 2008. Web. 5 April 2015.
<https://www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/>.
The picture on the left shows Dolly the sheep. To regular
people, she looks like an ordinary sheep, but to biology
lovers around the world she is the first cloned mammal
from a nucleus of a cell placed into an embryo then
inserted into an ewe (female sheep) (Marshall 17). The
media release of the existence of Dolly has brought up a
lot of ethical issues on cloning. One biggest of the
concerns brought up is with how Dolly was
created(Marshall 17). It took 277 tries with embryos to
finally be successful with Dolly (Marshall 17). This was a
concern because each of those embryos could have been
Marshall, Diana, ed. The Revolution in
Genetics: Understanding Global Issues.
Smart Apple. Media: Minnesota, 2000.
Print.
Zhong, Saiyi. "Zeranol induces cell
proliferation and protein disulfide
isomerase expression in mammary gland
of ACI rat." Anticancer Research . The
International Institute of Anticancer
Research, 2011.
<http://ar.iiarjournals.org/ >.
Dunlop, Jenna. Biology 11. Toronto:
McGraw –Hill Ryerson, 2010. Print.
life, but they were destroyed for scientific research which
many people feel is incorrect. Another issue Dolly
revealed is that by the age of six, she began to develop
arthritis which is rare for that young of a sheep (Marshall
17). Dolly's arthritis refueled the negative side of the
cloning debate by providing evidence that cloning can
have defects and if it is safe or not (Marshall 17).
Another ethical issue with cloning is by the use of
embryonic stem cells for therapeutic cloning (Marshall
40). The issue of using those cells is that the fertilization
used to make the embryo creates human life (an exact
clone of the nucleus donor) and after the tissue/organ is
made the cells are destroyed (Marshall 40). People
debate this is a violation of rights for the lifeform who may
have not wanted that its only existence is for spare parts
(Marshall 40). To conquer this issue scientist learned
how to make induced pluripotent stem cells (Dunlop et al.
186). Induced pluripotent stem cells are adult cells
induced into the stem cell state (Dunlop et al. 186).
These cells can be used to substitute embryonic because
they are both undifferentiated but induced pluripotent
stem cells are not fertilized eggs (Dunlop et al. 186).
4.
What are
environmental
impacts of
cloning?
5.
If cloning was
approved by
the
government,
●
Monoculture--> planting large amounts of the
same species of plant over large areas of land.
● Negative impact--> there will be lack of genetic
diversity
● if a disease or pest can wipe out an entire
species
Example --> 1840’s with the potato famine.
The potatoes were cloned to create a greater crop yield,
when an insect came and the entire crop died.
●
Bad for the environment--> an entire species of
potato was extinct in Ireland and could collapse
the food chain of the ecosystem because animals
that rely on that plant would die.
●
Assisted Human Reproductive Act Chapter 2 Law
4 and 5 state the rules and regulations of cloning.
Prohibits anything related to human cloning such
as research, insertion of the cloned embryo,
●
Dunlop, Jenna. Biology 11. Toronto:
McGraw –Hill Ryerson, 2010. Print.
“Monoculture and the Irish Potato
Famine: cases of missing genetic
variation. “Understanding Evolution.
University of California Museum of
Paleontology (UCMP), 2004. Web. 5.
April 2015.
<http://evolution.berkeley.edu/>.
“Prohibited Activities.” Justice Laws
Website . Government of Canada, 2015.
Web. 5 April 2015. <http://lawslois.justice.gc.ca/>.
what laws will
be created to
regulate it?
●
●
accepting payment to insert it in, or the giving the
payment to insert it in anyone.
Very strict and have no loopholes
If Canada did approve cloning, there would be
strict limits and no tolerance for rule breaking. .
Application
Careers involved in this question:
Career
Starting Salary
Education
Required
Citation
Biotechnologist
$30,000 to
$40,000 a year
Bachelor's Degree
in Biotechnology
"Explore Careers.” Career Cursing. Career
Cursing, 2015. Web. 5 April 2015.
<https://www2.career ruising.com/>
Bioethicist
40,000 and
$60,000 a year.
Degree in
Philosophy of
Science and
Technology
"Explore Careers.” Career Cursing. Career
Cursing, 2015. Web. 5 April 2015.
<https://www2.career ruising.com/>
Complete answer to the original question:
Answer
Gene
Tissues
Supporting details and facts
Answer Part 1: Cloning Genes
This level of cloning should be approved by the
Government of Canada. This is because gene
cloning can be beneficial to our society by helping
us produce proteins made by genes in mass
volume to treat certain diseases such as diabetes.
It does not have any environmental issues like
reproductive cloning, nor ethical issues like
therapeutic cloning. Because of these reasons
gene cloning should be approved by the
government.
Answer Part 2: Tissues
The cloning of tissues process should be
approved by the Canadian Government. Tissue
cloning provides a great advancement in the
medical department by being able to regenerate
Citation
tissue and organs for people who have diseases or
injuries where the damage is beyond natural repair.
Despite the ethical issues around stem cells
because of embryonic stem cells scientist can use
pluripotent cells
Organisms
Answer Part 3 Organisms
No the cloning of organisms must be banned in
Canada. Although it may be good for society by
producing better livestock it can potentially wipe out
a species because of lack of diversity causing low
resistance to things like diseases or insects. Also
reproductive cloning is an ethical issue because the
process of cloning kills many fertilized eggs which
some argue is killing life. Secondly, many people
are concerned that scientists will go too far and
create clones solely for the production of organs. In
order to avoid these issues, organism cloning
should not be approved.