Quote:
Part cow, part human embryo bid by British scientists
LONDON (AFP) - Scientists in Britain applied for permission to create part cow, part human embryos to be used in research on treating diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
The procedure, which they hope will provide a plentiful supply of stem cells, involves transferring nuclei containing DNA from human cells to cows' eggs.
At present, embryonic stem cells have to be obtained from unwanted early stage human embryos left over from in-vitro fertilisation treatment.
But the proposal has been questioned by some ethics campaigners, who claim it could blur the line between animals and humans.
The application was submitted to Britain's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the body regulating embryo research, by the North-East England Stem Cell Institute, run by the universities of Durham and Newcastle, northern England.
Dr Lyle Armstrong, a Newcastle University lecturer leading the team, said the work was necessary "to take this area of stem cell research to the next stage."
But Calum MacKellar, of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, told the BBC online: "In this kind of procedure, you are mixing at a very intimate level animal eggs and human chromosomes and you may begin to undermine the whole distinction between animals and humans."
A decision on whether to grant permission for the work is expected within the next few months.
LONDON (AFP) - Scientists in Britain applied for permission to create part cow, part human embryos to be used in research on treating diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
The procedure, which they hope will provide a plentiful supply of stem cells, involves transferring nuclei containing DNA from human cells to cows' eggs.
At present, embryonic stem cells have to be obtained from unwanted early stage human embryos left over from in-vitro fertilisation treatment.
But the proposal has been questioned by some ethics campaigners, who claim it could blur the line between animals and humans.
The application was submitted to Britain's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the body regulating embryo research, by the North-East England Stem Cell Institute, run by the universities of Durham and Newcastle, northern England.
Dr Lyle Armstrong, a Newcastle University lecturer leading the team, said the work was necessary "to take this area of stem cell research to the next stage."
But Calum MacKellar, of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, told the BBC online: "In this kind of procedure, you are mixing at a very intimate level animal eggs and human chromosomes and you may begin to undermine the whole distinction between animals and humans."
A decision on whether to grant permission for the work is expected within the next few months.
I know it's for a good cause, but still...
