Two recent advances have brought life extension closer to reality.
First, on the cloning front, scientists have finally succeeded in generating viable human embryonic stem cells from cloned cells (nuclear transfer). There is a way to go yet as the technique relied on retaining the recipient egg’s own haploid nucleus and they haven’t yet figured out how to get rid of that, but even if this particular technique proves to be a dead end itself, it gives us a valuable tool for working out how these things work and how to make therapeutic cloning a reality.
Second is another milestone on the gene therapy front: the successful reduction in the risk of uncontrolled bleeding in hemophiliacs. Some patients didn’t require any blood transfusions at all over 18 months. Again, we aren’t fully there yet, as success was variable and the holy grail of gene therapy is highly efficient, fully targeted gene replacement. But a milestone nonetheless.
