tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10381465.post5912389997617962309..comments2007-06-23T22:58:22.491-07:00Wesley J. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00087063614354714652wjs@wesleyjsmith.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10381465.post-16672989537639274962007-06-23T22:58:00.000-07:002007-06-23T22:58:00.000-07:00There is a method of genetic testing called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. It is done by removing one cell from an 8-10 cell embryo, testing for diseases. If the embryo passes inspection, it can be implanted and in theory is unharmed.<BR/><BR/>Practically speaking, not sure where this could go. I guess they could unfreeze embryos or make them fresh, remove the cell, keep the embryo near the cell so it will divide, and once the cell line is in existence, freeze the embryo?Wesley J. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00087063614354714652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10381465.post-24961766690928705172007-06-23T19:46:00.000-07:002007-06-23T19:46:00.000-07:00Wesley:<BR/><BR/>"Lanza told a stem cell conference in Australia that the researchers at ACT removed one cell from an embryo, kept the embryo in close proximity to the cell, which stimulated the removed cell to continue to divide as a stem cell line, and then returned the embryo 'safely to the freezer.'"<BR/><BR/>Okay, I'm scratching my head here - so they took a single cell from the embryo and were able to stimulate it to grow, without doing serious damage to the embryo? Would the embrionic human, minus this one cell, be able to develop into a healthy adult human? Will the baby grow up without difficulties? Or is the embryo still alive but unable to grow up and will die before birth because its missing important cells?T E Finehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02145212330537906750noreply@blogger.com