C B C . C A N e w s - F u l l S t o r y :
Britain
allows cloning of human embryos for research
WebPosted Tue Jan 23 12:59:16 2001
LONDON-- The
British House of Lords passed new regulations Monday night to allow medical
researchers to clone human embryos.
The debate over the bill ran
late into the night, with many members wanting to delay the changes until a
separate committee could look into the ethical concerns of the issue.
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But proponents of the idea
say the research that will now be allowed in Britain could spur rapid medical
advances that could improve the lives of people within a few years.
"Last night's vote
makes it quite likely now that the first human trials, probably for a brain
disease like Parkinson's, could take place in the next three years or so,"
said Simon Best, of the Bio-Industry Association.
"If those confirm
what's been seen in animals, then I think in a small scale you'll see clinical
application in five to seven years."
What has scientists such as
Best so excited is the possibility of using what are known as stem cells –
cells found in embryos that later develop into every type of tissue found in the
body.
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Researchers hope that by
taking stem cells from embryos about three or four days old, they can produce
everything from nerve cells for treatment of brain disorders to skin for burn
victims.
Others are more skeptical of
the hype.
"I think the possible
benefits are very far in the future – they're entirely speculative," said
bio-ethicist Tom Shakespeare. "We don't really know if it's going to work.
"So I think it's a very
distasteful kind of shroud waving to suggest that if we don't back this and rush
along the scientific route people will not be saved next year or the year after.
"
An embryo is a collection of
such cells until it's about 14 days old, when the cells begin to differentiate
into a nervous system, a spine and other features.
All embryos used in research
have to be destroyed by the time they are 14 days old.
The Human Fertilization and
Embryology Act of 1990 already allows research using donated embryos to study
fertility and birth defects. The new regulations expand on that law and come
into effect Jan. 31.
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