Post by Nyarlathotep on Feb 9, 2005 9:38:51 GMT -5
Where do you stand on this issue? I think that it's ok, as long as scientists are using only the cells and do not intend to create cloned human beings. Then again, it depends on when you consider "life" begins.
From The Australian:
The British scientist who created Dolly the sheep will embark on an attempt to clone human embryos after securing a licence to use the technique to find a cure for motor neurone disease.
Ian Wilmut, of the Roslin Institute, near Edinburgh, has been awarded Britain's second licence to conduct therapeutic cloning by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, clearing the way for experiments to begin within months.
His team, which includes researchers from King's College, London, will use the procedure to study the devastating condition.
At present there is no cure for motor neurone disease (MND), in which the nerve cells that control the muscles degenerate and die. Patients die within two to five years of diagnosis.
By cloning cells from patients with the disease, Professor Wilmut aims to create an unprecedented model for investigating the disorder's causes and development.
This will transform the prospects for developing an effective therapy, allowing scientists to test promising drugs on human cells in the laboratory, rather than on animals or patients.
While human cloning for medical research has been legal in Britain since 2001, the Roslin-King's team is only the second to be granted the required licence. Scientists at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne became the first to win approval last August.
Professor Wilmut said the work promised to reveal vital insights into a crippling disease and emphasised that it would not involve reproductive cloning.
"Our aim will be to generate stem cells purely for research purposes," he said. "This is not reproductive cloning in any way. The eggs we use will not be allowed to grow beyond 14 days. Once the stem cells are removed for cell culture, the remaining cells will be destroyed."
The goal of therapeutic cloning is to generate human embryonic stem (ES) cells that are genetically identical to patients and can be used to grow either replacement tissues for transplant or model cells for investigating certain diseases.
While the Newcastle group aims ultimately to use cloned ES cells to treat diseases such as diabetes, Professor Wilmut plans to employ them purely as laboratory tools.
He aims to produce cloned ES cells using the DNA of adults with a genetic form of MND and then coax these to develop into motor neurons -- the long nerve cells that transmit messages from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles.
"We will compare the behaviour and chemical profile of neurones with the gene defect to those without," said Christopher Shaw, another member of the team. "This will tell us about the earliest events that ultimately lead to cell death."
Groups who oppose all forms of cloning and embryo research attacked the ruling, saying it was far from certain that adult stem cells could not be used in the research.
The British announcement came as Spain's socialist Government announced details of a bill that would allow parents of a child with an incurable disease to conceive another baby to help save the sibling's life.
Embryos obtained through in-vitro fertilisation would be implanted in the mother's womb if they were healthy and potential donors for the sick child. After the birth, the newborn could donate cells to help cure the sick sibling.
From The Australian:
The British scientist who created Dolly the sheep will embark on an attempt to clone human embryos after securing a licence to use the technique to find a cure for motor neurone disease.
Ian Wilmut, of the Roslin Institute, near Edinburgh, has been awarded Britain's second licence to conduct therapeutic cloning by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, clearing the way for experiments to begin within months.
His team, which includes researchers from King's College, London, will use the procedure to study the devastating condition.
At present there is no cure for motor neurone disease (MND), in which the nerve cells that control the muscles degenerate and die. Patients die within two to five years of diagnosis.
By cloning cells from patients with the disease, Professor Wilmut aims to create an unprecedented model for investigating the disorder's causes and development.
This will transform the prospects for developing an effective therapy, allowing scientists to test promising drugs on human cells in the laboratory, rather than on animals or patients.
While human cloning for medical research has been legal in Britain since 2001, the Roslin-King's team is only the second to be granted the required licence. Scientists at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne became the first to win approval last August.
Professor Wilmut said the work promised to reveal vital insights into a crippling disease and emphasised that it would not involve reproductive cloning.
"Our aim will be to generate stem cells purely for research purposes," he said. "This is not reproductive cloning in any way. The eggs we use will not be allowed to grow beyond 14 days. Once the stem cells are removed for cell culture, the remaining cells will be destroyed."
The goal of therapeutic cloning is to generate human embryonic stem (ES) cells that are genetically identical to patients and can be used to grow either replacement tissues for transplant or model cells for investigating certain diseases.
While the Newcastle group aims ultimately to use cloned ES cells to treat diseases such as diabetes, Professor Wilmut plans to employ them purely as laboratory tools.
He aims to produce cloned ES cells using the DNA of adults with a genetic form of MND and then coax these to develop into motor neurons -- the long nerve cells that transmit messages from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles.
"We will compare the behaviour and chemical profile of neurones with the gene defect to those without," said Christopher Shaw, another member of the team. "This will tell us about the earliest events that ultimately lead to cell death."
Groups who oppose all forms of cloning and embryo research attacked the ruling, saying it was far from certain that adult stem cells could not be used in the research.
The British announcement came as Spain's socialist Government announced details of a bill that would allow parents of a child with an incurable disease to conceive another baby to help save the sibling's life.
Embryos obtained through in-vitro fertilisation would be implanted in the mother's womb if they were healthy and potential donors for the sick child. After the birth, the newborn could donate cells to help cure the sick sibling.
