Britain: human embryo is cloned

A &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/science/ 19/94/377/15126_treatment.html ' target=_blank>human embryo has been cloned for the first time in Britain, scientists have announced.

The stem cell research was carried out by Newcastle University and scientists hope the work would eventually lead to successful treatment for degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Aizheimer's, or for paralysed victims of spinal injuries.

The Newcastle University team took eggs from 11 women, removed the genetic material and replaced it with DNA from embryonic stem cells. The UK research is published in Reproductive and BioMedicine Online.

According to the scientists, the aim of research was to make cloned embryos from which stem cells could be used to treat diseases.

Therapeutic cloning, believed to have huge potential to treat disease and disability, is allowed in Britain, reports the Hindy. According to the New York Times, the method, called &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/science/19/94/379/14703_cloning.html ' target=_blank>therapeutic cloning, is one of the great hopes of the stem cell field. It produces stem cells, universal cells that are extracted from embryos, killing the embryos in the process, and that, in theory, can be directed to grow into any of the body's cell types.