Question

Which of the following reasons explains a possible advantage of using adult stem cells in therapeutic cloning rather than embryonic stem cells?

A. Adult stem cells may be obtained from the patient and would be less likely to be rejected by the patient's body.
B. Adult stem cells must be obtained from another individual before being injected into the patient and would be less likely to be rejected by the patient's body.
C. Embryonic stem cells wouldn't be able to enter the correct tissue of the patient's body, unlike an adult stem cell.
D. Adult stem cells have a longer lifespan in culture than embryonic stem cells and would persist for a longer time in the patient's body.

Answer 1

The correct answer would be option A.

Adult stem cells are the undifferentiated cells present in the human body which keeps dividing and differentiating in order to replenish and repair the damaged and lost cells and tissues.

These cells are derived from the patient's body and after specific differentiation, they are re-introduced into the patient's body.

It decreases the chances of tissue or organ rejection as compared to chances of rejection present with embryonic stem cells.

In contrast, embryonic stem cells are difficult to obtain and specific differentiation of these cells into the cells or tissues of choice is much more complex.

It increases the chances of tissue rejection in the patient due to which high doses of immunosuppressants are used.

Answer 2

The right answer is A.

Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells found in tissues that are predominantly composed of differentiated cells in most adult tissues and organs. These are usually multipotent cells. They are able to give rise to different cell lines of a given tissue. They are the basis of the natural renewal of a tissue and its repair following an injury.

Unlike the use of embryonic stem cells, those of adult stem cells pose no ethical problem as they are not derived from samples of destroyed human embryos.