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Britain nods to human cloning

AGENCIES, London
British scientists have been given permission to clone human embryos for medical research, thought to be the first such licence given in Europe.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) granted the licence to experts at the University of Newcastle.
They are investigating new treatments for conditions including diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.
The controversial decision could open a new era of research by scientists looking for remedies for diseases.
Researchers at Newcastle University will be allowed to create embryos as a source of stem cells to cure diseases, a spokeswoman for the university said on yesterday.
"It has taken a year of work, and I am most pleased that the HFEA has recognised the potential of this technology in modern
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medicine," Newcastle University's Dr Miodrag Stojkovic said in a statement.
The scientists said they plan to duplicate early-stage embryos and extract stem cells from them with the aim of developing new treatments for degenerative diseases.
But they warn it will be at least five years - if not many more - before patients could receive stem cell treatments based on their work.
The embryos will be destroyed before they are 14 days old and will never be allowed to develop beyond a cluster of cells the size of a pinhead.
It is the same technique that was used to create Dolly the cloned sheep.
Even though the science is similar, the technique is different to reproductive cloning, which aims to create a human being.
Cloning to create copies of human babies is outlawed in Britain but therapeutic cloning is legal there since 2002.
The cloning technique, known as cell nuclear replacement (CNR) involves removing the nucleus of a human egg cell and replacing it with the nucleus from a human body cell, such as a skin cell.
The egg is then artificially stimulated. This causes the egg to divide and behave in a similar way to a standard embryo fertilised by sperm.
The eggs used are left over from IVF treatment. They are donated by couples, and would otherwise have been destroyed.
Professor Alison Murdoch of the Newcastle NHS Fertility Centre, who is leading the research said the potential of their research was "immensely exciting".
She added: "Since we submitted our application we have had overwhelming support from senior scientists and clinicians from all over the world and many letters from patients who may benefit from the research.
"This research should give valuable insight into the development of many diseases."
Suzi Leather, chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, said an initial one year research licence had been granted after "careful consideration of all the scientific, ethical, legal and medical aspects of the project".
She said: "This is an important area of research and a responsible use of technology.
"The HFEA is there to make sure any research involving human embryos is scrutinised and properly regulated."
A spokeswoman for the British Medical Association said: "We support strong regulation so that therapeutic cloning to extract embryonic stem cells for life-saving treatment, which most of the public supports, can go ahead while human reproductive cloning, which most of the public opposes, cannot."
But Professor Jack Scarisbrick of the pro-life charity Life, called the HFEA's decision "deplorable".
"We are all in favour of conquering terrible diseases. But we do not need cloning to do so. Stem cells taken from adults are likely to be just as good, if not better."
He added: "Of course we are told that this therapeutic cloning, as it is called, will open the way to curing Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other degenerative diseases. But we have heard those promises so often before - and anyway, the end does not justify the means. This is a fundamental principle."
The world's first cloned human embryos were created by scientists in South Korea in February and a similar experiment has also been conducted in the US.
Cloning human embryos for therapeutic purposes was made legal by an amendment to the Human Embryology Act in January 2001.
But cloning humans for reproductive purposes remains illegal and is punishable by a 10-year prison sentence and unlimited fines.
(BBC/ REUTERS)