The long-awaited report by the UK's Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson on the ethical and scientific issues surrounding therapeutic cloning research was published last Wednesday. It calls for a change to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (HFEA) of 1990, to allow scientists working on stem cell therapies to carry out research on human embryos less than 14 days old. The UK government's response to the report, released on the same day, accepts all of the expert committee's recommendations.
'Stem cell research opens up a new medical frontier' said Liam Donaldson last week. The committee also recommended that human embryo research involving cell nuclear transfer - the technique used to clone Dolly the sheep - should be permitted. This may eventually allow researchers to develop ways of growing immunologically compatible tissues to treat a range of human illnesses. It could also lead to new treatments for women at risk of passing on mitochondrial disorders, which are caused by alterations in the DNA found outside of the egg cell nucleus.
The Government has announced it will hold a free vote on the issue later in the year. It also plans new legislation to reinforce the ban on 'reproductive cloning', although this is already outlawed under the existing HFE Act. All new research proposals involving embryo stem cells will continue to be licensed and closely monitored by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. Any planned use of embryo-derived cells in the actual treating of patients would require new legislation, according to the report.
Sources and References
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This is a 6-day-old embryo. Today it holds the future of medicine
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Experts support human cloning
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Embryo cloning for research is approved
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Stem cell research: Medical progress with responsibility
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