Your friend is a pioneer in ES cell research. In her research, she uses an ES cell line that originated from an inbred strain of laboratory mice called FG426

Question

She has just figured out methods that allow her to grow an entire liver from an ES cell and has successfully grown 10 livers. She demonstrates that the newly grown livers are functional by successfully transplanting one of the new livers into a FG426 laboratory mouse.

You are particularly excited about this, because you have a sick pet mouse, Squeaky. You are very attached to Squeaky, as you found him when you were out camping in New Hampshire. Unfortunately, Squeaky has developed liver disease and will not live much longer without a liver transplant. After you see your friend on TV talking about her new method for growing mouse livers, you immediately grab your cell phone to ask her whether Squeaky could have one of the newly grown livers. Just as you are about to dial your friend, you remember something you learned in cell biology and realize that instead, you should ask your friend about possibly using therapeutic cloning for Squeaky's benefit.
A. Why do you think that one of the newly grown livers may not work in Squeaky?
B. Explain why therapeutic cloning would solve this problem.

Cancer

Answer 1

A. For organ transplantation to be successful, the donor and the recipient should be as close a genetic match as possible to minimize the risk of immunological rejection. Because you found Squeaky in the fields of New Hampshire, Squeaky is likely to have genetic differences from the FG426 inbred laboratory mice.
B. Therapeutic cloning may help save Squeaky because it is a method for generating ES cells from Squeaky himself—cells that will be genetically identical to Squeaky. You hope that your friend will be successful when applying her methods to the ES cell line derived from Squeaky and can grow a functional liver for him.