What is the significance of artificial parthenogenesis?

Answer 1

Although parthenogenesis does not appear to occur naturally in primates, an unfertilized egg can be induced to form an early ball of cells called a blastocyst, from which stem cells and stem cell lines can be derived. Stem cells from these lines can then be differentiated into specific cell types that may be used in research or as part of a cell transplant therapy to treat human diseases. The technique for producing human stem cell lines through parthenogenesis was developed by International Stem Cell Corporation of Oceanside, California, and can produce two different kinds of parthenogenetic stem cells: (1) those known as heterozygous parthenogenetic stem cells, which carry the genetic makeup from both parents of the egg donor and (2) homozygous parthenogenetic stem cells, which carry the genetic makeup of only one of the parents of the egg donor. Both heterozygous and homozygous parthenogenetic stem cells are functionally comparable to embryonic stem cells. Those known as homozygous parthenogenetic stem cells are produced through a proprietary process that produces cells containing genetic makeup from only one half of donor's genome, but with the normal number of chromosomes, thus greatly simplifying the process of matching therapeutic cells to patient's immune system in therapeutic transplants. The use of homozygous parthenogenetic stem cells is expected to permit cells from a single stem cell line to match the key HLA factors of up to 350 million potential patients, thus reducing the need for immune suppressing drugs in human cell transplant therapy.