Scientists in Britain have applied for a licence to create hybrid embryos using human cells and animal eggs for stem cell research to develop new treatments for diseases such as Parkinson’s, stroke and Alzheimer’s.
The researchers from Kings College London and the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) submitted the application to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), a regulatory body that oversees embryo research and fertility treatment.
If the application is approved, the hybrid embryo will be 99.9 percent human and 0.1 percent animal. By using animal eggs, the scientists hope to overcome the shortage of human eggs left over from IVF treatments, which have been used for stem cell research.
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They will use nuclear transfer, the technique used to create Dolly the sheep, the world’s first cloned mammal. The nucleus of the animal egg will be removed and fused with the nucleus from a human cell. The egg will develop until it is a cluster of cells, or blastocyst.
After six days, the scientists will remove the stem cells, which can develop into any cell type or tissue. The early embryo will be destroyed before it is 14 days old in accordance with the licence.
Articolo completo: Approval sought for human/animal embryo research, Reuters UK, November 6, 2006.
Speriamo che la notizia non valichi i confini degli scienziati e dei ricercatori, altrimenti non ci sarà risparmiata la solfa sulle chimere o sui mostri creati in laboratorio...
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