Britain's fertility regulator said on Thursday it would allow scientists to create human-animal hybrid embryos for research.
The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) approved applications from two universities to create "cytoplasmic" embryos, which merge human cells with eggs from animals such as cattle or rabbits.
Scientists argue the research could pave the way for therapies for diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, although opponents condemned the HFEA's decision on Thursday as a "disastrous setback for human dignity."
"An HFEA license committee has considered two applications, from King's College London and Newcastle University, to carry out research using human-animal cytoplasmic hybrid embryos," the authority said in a statement.
"The HFEA license committee determined that the two applications satisfied all the requirements of the law and has now offered one-year research licenses to the two applicants, subject to a series of detailed conditions in each case," it said.
Researchers want to produce hybrids that are 99.9 percent human and 0.1 percent animal.
Lyle Armstrong, from the Newcastle University team, hailed the decision and hoped to make rapid progress.
"Finding better ways to make human embryonic stem cells is the long term objective of our work and understanding reprogramming is central to this," said Armstrong, who helped to create the world's first cloned human embryo in 2005.
"Cow eggs seem to be every bit as good at doing this job as human eggs, so it makes sense to use them since they are much more readily available," he said.
The research involves transferring nuclei containing DNA from human cells to animal eggs that have had nearly all their genetic information removed.
The resulting embryos are therefore mostly human, with a small animal component.
Stem cells, which can grow into different kinds of tissue, are then formed.
Once their own nuclear DNA is removed and replaced with DNA from a human cell, they become effectively human. The only "animal" element left is the tiny amount of DNA housed in the mitochondria, rod-like power plants outside the cell nucleus that generate energy.
The embryos could give researchers a large supply of stem cells to work with.
Scientists have had to rely on human eggs left over from fertility treatment, which are in short supply and often poor quality.
An HFEA consultation out in November found people were "at ease" with the proposals, once the possible implications had been explained.
Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, head of stem cell biology at the Medical Research Council's national institute for medical research, said: "The HFEA's decision is excellent as it adds to the arsenal of techniques UK scientists can use to provide understanding and eventually develop therapies for a wide range of devastating genetic diseases."
"It is logical to use animal eggs to refine techniques, provide knowledge of reprogramming and early development, and understanding of disease mechanisms," he said.
However, John Smeaton, national director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said the decision was a "disastrous setback for human dignity," creating sub-human "slaves" used as raw materials.
"Of those embryos with a smaller proportion of human material, greater uncertainty arises ... as to whether such an embryo is a human being with due rights," he said.
The use and destruction of embryos in research is a highly sensitive subject in the US, for political and religious reasons.
US President George W. Bush has twice vetoed a bill seeking to allow federal funds for stem cell research as it would involve human embryo destruction.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
‘DELUSIONAL’: Targeting the families of Hamas’ leaders would not push the group to change its position or to give up its demands for Palestinians, Ismail Haniyeh said Israeli aircraft on Wednesday killed three sons of Hamas’ top political leader in the Gaza Strip, striking high-stakes targets at a time when Israel is holding delicate ceasefire negotiations with the militant group. Hamas said four of the leader’s grandchildren were also killed. Ismail Haniyeh’s sons are among the highest-profile figures to be killed in the war so far. Israel said they were Hamas operatives, and Haniyeh accused Israel of acting in “the spirit of revenge and murder.” The deaths threatened to strain the internationally mediated ceasefire talks, which appeared to gain steam in recent days even as the sides remain far
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of