A popular name for the proposed use of embryo stem cells, derived using somatic cell nuclear transfer technology, to develop genetically-matched cell therapies for a range of diseases.
Two teams of Australian scientists have applied for a licence to use eggs left over from fertility treatment to create cloned human embryos, Australian newspapers report. The application, which is the first to be made in the country, has been submitted to a National Health and Medical...
A measure which if passed will ban all forms of embryo cloning in the state of Ohio, including somatic cell nuclear transfer or so-called 'therapeutic cloning', is currently being debated by the Ohio Senate Judiciary Civil Justice Committee. The Committee has not yet voted on Senate Bill...
By Katy Sinclair: Christian groups have instigated a judicial review of the decision by the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to grant licences to create human hybrid embryos for stem cell research. The Christian Legal Centre (CLC) along with Comment on Reproductive Ethics (Core) will argue that the...
Legislation on human embryonic stem (ES) cell research and cloning is currently being debated by the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The proposal will remove the current ban on 'therapeutic' cloning and at the same time prohibit reproductive cloning, to bring the state in...
A study in Nature Medicine, by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre Team, has reported the successful treatment of mice with Parkinson's disease using 'therapeutic cloning', giving hope that one day a similar treatment could treat people with the condition. In an important 'proof of concept' study for...
Japanese researchers announced last week that they have advanced their understanding and ability to safely 'reprogramme' adult stem cells to resemble embryonic stem (ES) cells without inducing tumours or harmful genetic abnormalities. The Japanese team of researchers, lead by Dr Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University, reprogrammed liver...
Scientists at the California biotechnology company, Stemagen, announced last week that they had successfully cloned the world's first human embryos, created from adult male skin cells. Although British scientists cloned human embryos two years ago, this is the first time that scientists have managed to grow such...
Last week's announcement that two teams of researchers, led by Dr Shinya Yamanaka at Japan's Kyoto University and Professor James Thompson at the University of Wisconsin in the US, had managed to 'reprogram' human skin cells into what they term induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells has re-ignited...
The United Nation's Institute of Advanced Studies has issued a report containing a stark warning to the rest of the world: introduce global legislation to prohibit reproductive cloning or prepare to consider laws that protect cloned individuals from potential discrimination, prejudice and abuse. The report, entitled 'Is...
This conference (organised by the Progress Educational Trust (PET), held at the Institute of Child Health, London on 1 November) was extremely timely, given that the new Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill revising regulation of assisted reproduction and embryo research was published last week. This Bill is intended to...
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