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Wednesday November 8 10:48 AM ET UK Scientists Call for Embryo Stem Cell Research By Patricia Reaney LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists should be allowed to use early human embryos in research to develop powerful new therapies, including cloning to derive stem cells, for a host of human diseases, British experts said on Tuesday. The controversial proposals coincide with the end of a high-profile operation in England to separate Siamese twins that triggered a storm of ethical protests similar to those central to the cloning debate - that doctors should not play God. The Royal Society of leading scientists said therapeutic cloning and the use of stem cells is a potentially revolutionary new way to treat disease and serious illness, but its progress will be hindered unless research is allowed on human embryos. In Britain, scientists can only use early human embryos to study specific problems such as infertility, congenital diseases, contraception and prenatal diagnosis. But the nation's chief medical officer Dr Liam Donaldson has recommended the law be extended so human embryos can be cloned and used to derive stem cells - master cells which replicate and generate most of the 200 cell types in the human body. The method could treat diseases ranging from Parkinson's disease and diabetes to arthritis and strokes. Parliament is expected to vote soon on the recommendation. ``Members of both Houses should accept that this research on early embryos is scientifically necessary,'' said Professor Richard Gardner, chairman of the Royal Society Working Group on Therapeutic Cloning. ``Ten percent of the population could benefit from stem cell therapy,'' he said at the launch of a report on the issue. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001108/hl/stemcell_3.html Related links: Monday November 6 1:30 PM ET Stem Cell Injection Helps Paralyzed Mice Move http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001106/hl/stemcell_1.html Human Stem Cell Research http://dailynews.yahoo.com/fc/Science/Stem_Cell_Research/ [log in to unmask]