Does extracting cells from an embryo kill an embryo?

Question

Does extracting cells from an embryo kill an embryo?

Answer 1

Sort of.  Extracting cells to generate a stem cell line does destroy the embryo, but I wouldn't call it "alive" at that stage.  Of course, there's a whole debate about when an embryo is considered alive, but I'm not talking about that.

Stem cells are obtained from excess embryos that were generated for in vitro fertilization.  Since IVF is a hit-or-miss type of procedure, the technicians generate a bunch of embryos and try to implant a few at a time.  When the pregnancy does take hold, the remaining embryos are frozen for storage.  They can be stored for a while, but not indefinitely.  It's the "expired" embryos that are used to produce stem cells.  The cells are still "alive" in the sense that a single cell (rather than a whole organism) is alive, but they are incapable of fully developing into a human.  So, yes, the process does destroy embryos, but they weren't viable in the first place.

Answer 2

It depends what you mean.

For deriving embryonic stem cells, the entire inner cell mass of the embryo is harvested - and this DOES destroy the embryo.

In IVF for couples who have a risk of a genetic disease, when they have fertilised an egg, they allow it to mature to the 8-cell stage. They then extract 1 cell from it to test for the presence of the disorder gene. This does NOT destroy the embryo (though if they find the gene, they might destroy it anyway).

Answer 3

Sadly the embryo's dead before they begin the process,

But they usually make the embryo's specifically for cell extraction.

I'm not sure if this makes the process better or worse.

Answer 4

It can, depending on the stage and how it is done.

Up to the 8 cell stage, a single cell can be removed and the embryo will still be able to develop normally, however, we are unable to remove cells from a blastocyst (when embryonic stem cells are normally collected) without disrupting the embryo.