Transcript Artificial insemination

Genetics and Ethics
Artificial Insemination
• Artificial insemination is when sperm is placed into a
female's uterus or cervix using artificial means rather
than by natural copulation.
• Either the woman's husband's sperm or a known or an
anonymous sperm donor can be used.
• Eugenics means the application of reproductive
medicine not to help people have children and not to
avoid different diseases but only to produce desirable or
preferable types of humans.
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
• In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a technique in which egg
cells are fertilized by sperm outside the woman's womb,
in vitro.
• The procedure involves hormonally controlling the
ovulatory process, removing ova from the woman's
ovaries and letting sperm fertilize them in a fluid medium.
• The main ethical problem with IVF is that in the course of
an IVF treatment, more viable embryos are produced
than are desired.
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
(SCNT)
• In SCNT the nucleus is removed from
an adult somatic cell.
• At the same time, the nucleus of an
egg cell is also removed.
• And then the nucleus of the somatic
cell is inserted into the enucleated egg
cell.
• And after it the egg is stimulated with a
shock and will begin to divide.
Genetic Diagnostics
• Prenatal genetic diagnostics (e.g.
amniocentesis)
• Pre-implantation genetic diagnostics (during
IVF)
• Genetic screening of the developing embryo or
the developing fetus combined with the right to
choose abortion, or with the right to choose the
desirable embryo to implant gives people a tool
to influence their children’s genetic make up.
Gene Transfer Techniques
• Somatic gene transfer, when the genotype of one or
more somatic cells are changed.
• Germline gene transfer (or germ cell gene transfer),
when we make changes in the genotype of the ovum, or
of the sperm, or of the zygote.
• The most intensive ethical debates concerning
reproductive medicine are on the question whether we
have right to influence the genetic make up of our
children or not.
Stem Cell Researches
Stem cells
• Totipotent => whole
organism, any type of
cell, including extraembryonic types.
• Pluripotent => Any type
of cell, except extraembryonic.
• Multipotent => certain
types of cells (a family of
cell types).
Embryonic Stem Cells (ES) and
Embryonic Germ Cells
• Pluripotent embryonic stem cells can be isolated from
the inner cell mass of the blastocyst (ES)
• We can use the excess embryos of IVF to obtain ES.
• And by the means of SCNT we can produce as many
blastocysts (ES) as we want.
• And there is a further possible source of pluripotent stem
cells, since those can also be isolated from aborted
fetuses, more precisely, from the fetal gonads (EG)
Possible Solutions I.
- In 2007 researchers have successfully produced
amniotic fluid-derived stem cells ("AFS") => This
research demonstrates a possible way to
retrieve pluripotent embryonic stem cells without
destroying embryos.
- German scientists was able to derive pluripotent
stem cells from sperm producing cells of the
mouse => This research demonstrates a
possible way to retrieve pluripotent stem cells
from adult humans.
Possible Solutions II.
• Multipotent stem cells are found in adult animals
as well as in adult humans and perhaps most
organs in the body contain them.
• Zebrafish.