Hybrid embryos backed

In response to a House of Commons Science and Technology Committee inquiry, the Royal society has backed the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos - so called cybrids - for medical research.

Advances in cloning technology have given scientists the ability to put human nuclei into an oocyte of a different species

The inquiry was prompted by recent Government proposals to potentially restrict research using hybrid or chimaera embryos - as set out in the recent White Paper - Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act: Proposals for revised legislation. It also follows recent license applications considered by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) which proposed placing human genetic material into empty animal eggs to create stem cells for research purposes.

“The technique to create cybrids may prove a vital model to investigate and test the properties of human embryonic stem cells prior to their therapeutic use in humans. It may enable scientists to generate viable stem cell lines using animal eggs which are in plentiful supply, before moving onto research using precious human eggs.” said Martin Rees, President of the Royal Society.

This move reflects the opinion that you have shown on the www.labnews.co.uk opinion poll - with 81% of those that voted thinking that hybrid embryos should be created in order to research cures for disease.

The Royal Society is however quick to acknowledge the ethical and regulatory issues surrounding the techniques. Their official response to the Science and Technology Committee inquirey states: “The creation of hybrid and chimaera embryos is a complex area and each avenue for research is associated with a different level of risk, benefit and ethical issues. It is difficult to generalise about the appropriate regulations that should be applied to the various ways to create embryos containing both human and animal Material without considering the exact details of the proposed work, their corresponding benefits and Potential uses.

Thank you to all those that voted on our poll - be sure to log on and have your say when the next topic is put up for debate!