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LONDON - January 23, 2001 - AP - The House of Lords approved a proposed change to government regulations yesterday that makes Britain the first country to effectively legalize the creation of cloned human embryos. The measure is aimed at allowing research on stem cells - the unprogrammed master cells found in early-stage embryos that can turn into nearly every cell type in the body. Like all other embryos used in research, the clones created under the new regulations would have to be destroyed after 14 days, and the creation of babies by cloning would remain outlawed... cloning could revolutionize medicine. It offers the hope of engineering transplants that would prevent or cure scores of illnesses, from diabetes to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease...
Fertility expert Lord Winston, who chairs the House of Lords' science and technology committee, spoke out strongly in favor of embryo research. "There is no doubt that on your vote, my lords, depends whether some people in the near future get the treatment which might save them from disease or, even worse, death." he said. .. between 300,000 and half a million human embryos have been destroyed or experimented upon. There have been no cures, but our willingness to walk this road has paved the way for more and more demand," Mr. Alton said...
Currently in the United States, early stage embryonic stem cells obtained from the donated or purchased embryos produced in private laboratories - especially fertility clinics - may be used in certain research. Fertility clinics are a prime source of the cells because they produce an oversupply of embryos for in vitro fertilization and ultimately destroy the unused ones...
Scientists would remove the nucleus of a donor egg and replace it with a cell from a sick patient. The egg would then be induced to divide and start growing into an embryo. The cloned cells would be genetically identical to the patient's and therefore could theoretically overcome problems of transplant rejection, caused when the immune system fights foreign tissue...
Scientists foresee extracting the stem cells from the embryo when it is three or four days old and directing the cells' growth in the lab so the cells become any desired cell or tissue type for transplant. (1)
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Choose your baby's sperm donor on TV ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BRITAIN - Februrary 20, 2001 - Scotsman - BRITAIN'S obsession with reality TV shows could plumb new depths with an idea currently being discussed by the producers responsible for the hit series, Big Brother.
Dutch television firm, Endemol, has drafted ideas for a game show called I Want Your Baby, in which a female contestant chooses a complete stranger to father their child.
The show would see a female contestant firing questions at a line-up of up to 30 men, all prepared to donate their sperm for artificial insemination, and from their responses the woman would choose which male contestant becomes a father...
A critic stated: "It is simply another case of taking the boundaries and pushing them a little bit further. I doubt they would let it on television in the UK, but if they did I think it would get an audience. You can get an audience for anything nowadays." ..
Since Big Brother scored a massive hit many TV companies have created follow ups, including The Big Diet, where contestants have to lose as much weight as possible, and Who Wants To Marry A Millionnaire, where a millionnaire chooses a bride from a line-up of women...
Since Big Brother scored a massive hit many TV companies have created follow ups, including The Big Diet, where contestants have to lose as much weight as possible, and Who Wants To Marry A Millionnaire, where a millionnaire chooses a bride from a line-up of women.(2)
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12 Firms To Grow Human Organs For Transplant ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2000 Kyodo News (c) - TOKYO Jan. 23 - Kyodo - Twelve high-tech firms are planning to launch joint research in fiscal 2001 to grow a range of human tissues and organs for transplantation using human embryonic stem (ES) cells, industry sources said Monday.
The 12 -- including Mitsubishi Chemical Corp., Teijin Ltd. and Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. -- are joining hands as the international race to cash in on artificially grown organs gains speed. The project is aimed at growing skin, cartilage, veins and internal organs by culturing human ES cells, the sources said...
In 1998, a team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin reported the successful derivation and culturing of human ES cells, adding impetus to international efforts to grow human tissues based on ES cells.
A semigovernmental organization affiliated with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to help support the 12-company research with 1.8 billion yen set aside in the fiscal 2000 supplementary budget, they said.
The University of Tokyo, Kyoto University and Osaka University plan to tie up with the 12, they added. Other participants include Terumo Corp. and Toray Industries Inc.
In the United States, more than 60 venture businesses have been established to cash in on ES cell technology to grow tissues for transplantation, they said. (3)
Bibliography:
- (1) http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/default-2001123221716.htm
- (2) http://thescotsman.co.uk/uk.cfm?id=39603
- (3) http://home.kyodo.co.jp/fullstory/display.jsp?newsnb=20010123013
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