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UK's first hybrid embryos created 4-1-08
Scientists at Newcastle University have created part-human, part-animal
hybrid embryos for the first time in the UK, the BBC can reveal.
The embryos survived for up to three days and are part of medical research into
a range of illnesses.
It comes a month before MPs are to debate the future of such research.
The Catholic Church describes it as "monstrous". But medical bodies and patient
groups say such research is vital for our understanding of disease.
They argue that the work could pave the way for new treatments for conditions
such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Egg shortages
They may look
like any three-day-old embryos, but in fact these are hybrids
"We are dealing with a clump of cells which would never go on to develop"
Professor John Burn
Newcastle University
What are hybrid embryos?
They were created by injecting DNA derived from human skin cells into eggs taken
from cows ovaries which have had virtually all their genetic material removed.
So what possible justification can scientists offer for doing what the Catholic
Church has branded "experiments of Frankenstein proportion"?
The Newcastle team say they are using cow ovaries because human eggs from donors
are a precious resource and in short supply.
The hybrid embryos are purely for research and would never be allowed to develop
beyond 14 days when they are still smaller than a pinhead.
Scientists want to extract stem cells, the body's master cells, from the
embryos, in order to increase understanding of a whole range of diseases from
diabetes to stroke and ultimately to produce treatments.
Professor John Burn from Newcastle University says the research is entirely
ethical.
"This is licensed work which has been carefully evaluated. This is a process in
a dish, and we are dealing with a clump of cells which would never go on to
develop. It's a laboratory process and these embryos would never be implanted
into anyone.
"We now have preliminary data which looks promising but this is very much work
in progress and the next step is to get the embryos to survive to around six
days when we can hopefully derive stem cells from them."
Free vote allowed
The research in Newcastle was approved by the UK's fertility regulator, the
Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority.
It is difficult to imagine a single piece of legislation which more
comprehensively attacks the sanctity and dignity of human life than this
particular bill
It acted ahead of the passing of new legislation which will specifically allow
the creation of hybrid embryos so as not to hold back research.
The bill setting out the new legislation is not due to be debated in the House
of Commons until next month.
It is highly controversial and last week Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave in to
demands for a free vote on the issue.
Critics from the Roman Catholic Church say the creation of hybrids is immoral.
"It is difficult to imagine a single piece of legislation which more
comprehensively attacks the sanctity and dignity of human life than this
particular bill," Cardinal Keith O'Brien, archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh
declared last week.
Not for the first time developments in science have outpaced the debate from
legislators.
For supporters of embryo research the creation of hybrid embryos is a small but
significant move forward.
For opponents it is a step too far.