Ban on hybrid human embryos is 'harmful'

Scientists at the centre of a row over the creation of hybrid animalhuman embryos today called for the Government to back their work.

King's College scientists hope to create embryos that would be 99.9 per cent human and 0.1 per cent animal.

But a Government White Paper last December called for a ban on experiments involving the creation of human-animal embryos.

Today, the science and technology select committee branded the proposals "unacceptable and potentially harmful to UK science".

Cloning embryos using eggs from rabbits or cows and genetic material from humans could provide a source of stem cells for research. Pressure is growing on the Government to give the go-ahead to the London team, who are researching treatments for motor neurone disease.

Dr Stephen Minger of King's College said: "We completely agree with their finding that research should be regulated and not legislated.

"We have always maintained that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the Home Office have the requisite scientific and ethical expertise to evaluate and license complex and potentially ethically contentious human research.

"We urge Parliament to consider the S&T findings in the formulation of the draft Bill and not to restrict fundamentally important research."

The research applications from King's College, and a second from the University of Newcastle, are on hold while the row continues.

Health minister Caroline Flint, the White Paper's chief architect, has already said she is willing to rethink the contents of a draft Bill due to be published on 8 May.

Tony Blair has been sent a letter from 223 medical research charities calling for research to continue.