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Q&A: Therapeutic cloning
More articles on this topic: CloningThe Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority have given the go-ahead for a team of British scientists to clone human embryos.
BBC News Online examines the implications of the case.
What are the scientists hoping to do?
Scientists from the Institute of Human Genetics at Newcastle University and the Newcastle Fertility Centre want to carry out research on human embryos.
They are trying to develop new treatments for diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
What will the research involve?
The team are investing a cloning technique called cell nuclear replacement (CNR), in which the nucleus of a human egg cell is removed and replaced with the nucleus from a human body cell, such as a skin cell.
The egg is then artificially stimulated. This causes the egg to divide and behave in a similar way to a standard embryo fertilised by sperm.
The eggs used in the research will have been created as part of IVF treatment.
The embryos would be cultured to the stage at which they start producing stem cells.
These are the body’s master cells. They have the potential to develop into many different types of tissue.
The scientists would extract these stem cells from the embryos in this very early stage of development. The embryos would then be destroyed.
What is the point of the research?
Scientists believe that stem cells from embryos could be used to treat and potentially cure diseases such as diabetes.
The idea is that the stem cells can be put into an individual’s body to rectify physical problems.
These cells would be used to create insulin-producing cells which could be inserted into diabetes patients, using some of their own DNA to ensure their bodies do not reject the cells.
Will it work?
That’s what the Newcastle team are hoping to find out. Dr Miodrag Stojkovic of Newcastle University, who is one of the lead researchers, said tests in animals - such as those on rats looking at embryonic stem cell treatments for Parkinson’s disease - have been promising.
There are concerns that genes within manipulated stem cells may not be “switched on” properly and could become cancerous.
But Dr Stojkovic said: “Our prelimary studies in the lab will allow us to see if there are abnormalities in gene expression, and whether these stem cell lines developed from cloned embryos have the potential to develop into insulin producing cells or nerve cells.”
How long will it be before patients can benefit from these treatments?
It could be many years. Experts at Newcastle say the first stage is to examine how the process works in the lab. Once they are able to create, say insulin-producing cells for diabetics, successfully in tests, they would move on to clinical trials.
It is likely to be at least five years before such trials start, and it could be many more years before embryonic stem cell treatments are available to patients.
Is it legal?
Yes, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority decided to make “therapeutic” cloning legal in 2001.
This means that scientists can apply for a licence to clone human embryos provided they intend to use them to study disease in a laboratory situation only.
The cloning of human embryos with the intention of creating a baby - reproductive cloning - is still strictly banned in the UK.
Embryos used for research must be destroyed when the work is finished. At this stage, they are still in an early stage of development, a bundle of several hundred cells.
It is controversial?
Yes. Opponents say an embryo, regardless of its stage of development, is still potentially a human being in the making.
Proponents argue that experimentation takes place long before an embryo begins to develop any nervous system, or sense of self - and as such cannot be defined as a human life.
They argue that the work is vital if effective treatments are to be found for debilitating diseases.
Have other scientists created cloned human embryos?
Yes. A South Korean team announced earlier this year that they had 30 embryos that were the exact genetic copies of the women who donated the eggs and cells to make them.
The embryos were allowed to develop for several days, and embryonic stem cells were extracted from them.
The eventual aim, in this case, is to use such cells to replace those that have failed in patients with degenerative diseases, such as some heart conditions and Parkinson’s, or in spinal cord injuries.
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