17/01/2008

'Hybrid' Human-Beast Embroy Research Approved

The British fertility regulator has given the go-ahead for the creation of what has been dubbed hybrid human-animal embryos.

Experts from King's College London and Newcastle University will now be able to carry out research using the embryos, which they hope will pave the way for new treatments for a range of diseases.

Applications from two teams of British scientists were approved by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in a move expected to attract controversy.

Scientists want to create hybrid embryos by merging human cells with animal eggs in a bid to extract stem cells. The embryos would then be destroyed within 14 days.

The cells form the basic building blocks of the body and have the potential to become any tissue, making them essential for research.

At the moment, scientists have to rely on human eggs left over from fertility treatment, but they are in short supply and are not always good quality.

(BMcC)




Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

05 September 2007
Regulator Gives Green Light To Use Of Human-Animal Embryos
The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has agreed in principal to the use of human-animal embryos in research.
12 August 2004
Groundbreaking research into human cloning gets go-ahead
The first licence to create human embryonic stem cells for cloning has been awarded to a research team based in Newcastle. Under the terms of the one-year licence granted to Newcastle Centre for Life, stem cells created using a technique called therapeutic cloning can only be used for research purposes only.
19 May 2008
MP's To Vote On Human-Animal Embryo Research
The Commons is to vote on controversial plans for research to be carried out using human-animal embryos today which could mark a turning point in medicine. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is backing the measures saying it could save "millions of lives".
19 October 2011
Ruling Could Stop Euro Stem Cell Research – Scientists
Stem-cell scientists in Europe are reeling from a ruling on Wednesday banning patents on stem cells obtained through the destruction of human embryos. The decision by the European Court of Justice means that no European patents will be given for research based on stem cells extracted from anything capable of developing into a human being.
17 May 2007
Government backs plan on hybrid embryos
The government has agreed to allow the creation of hybrid human-animal embryos for research. Ministers had originally proposed to ban the practice last year, but they have now agreed to allow the practice, following criticism from scientists that it would hinder medical breakthroughs.