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Hybrid embryo research tipped for approval NICHOLAS CHRISTIAN HYBRID embryos that will be used for research into human diseases are expected to be given the go-ahead this week. The government's ethical watchdog, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), will decide on Wednesday whether to permit scientists to create human-animal hybrid embryos to extract stem cells for studies. If approved, the research could produce new treatments for diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and motor neurone disease. The signs are that the HFEA will approve the concept in principle, but it still has to decide on two specific applications from university scientists. Rulings will be made later this year. Dr Stephen Minger, from King's College London, has applied to the HFEA to create embryos using eggs taken from cattle that have had their genetic material removed and replaced with human cells. The aim is to create stem cells that can be manipulated in the laboratory to mimic human cells with genetic neurological diseases. This can help develop potential treatments. Minger said the only alternative was to encourage thousands of women to donate their eggs for the research. "Ruling against this research would be a real blow for science, not just stem cell research," he said. A second research application has been submitted by a team at Newcastle University to carry out a basic investigation using stem cells taken from hybrid embryos. Hybrids have already been created in China. A row erupted last year after a government white paper proposed banning the technique following a backlash from a public consultation. Scientists warned the consultation had been skewed by pro-life groups and so the HFEA decided to carry out its own. The then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, also stepped in to the debate, saying although the moral issues were difficult, the scientific work should move forward. In addition, several parliamentary committees, research groups, MPs and patient organisations have called for the ground-breaking research to go ahead. In the meantime, the government has published a draft bill which would allow hybrid embryos to be created using cloning techniques but not "true hybrids'' where a human egg is fertilised with animal sperm or vice versa. The joint scrutiny committee said this should be removed and research allowed on all hybrids. Lib Dem MP Phil Willis, the committee chairman, said it was likely the final bill will be amended to reflect this before it went to MPs. This article: http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=1395722007 Rayilyn Brown Board Member AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn