EON

London – Britain’s fertility regulator Wednesday gave the green light “in principle” for the creation of hybrid human-animal embryos for research purposes.

The highly controversial move by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) means that applications from scientists to carry out such research can now be appraised by a licence committee.

While scientists have hailed the use of hybrid embryos as a breakthrough in the fight against illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, opponents describe the idea as “abhorrent.”

Researchers want to create hybrid embryos known as cytoplasmic embryos by merging human cells with animal eggs in a bid to extract stem cells.

The embryos are made using eggs from rabbits or cows and genetic material from human donors.

In May, the government published the Human Tissue and Embryos Bill, which proposed a regulation-making power that could lead to the creation of cytoplasmic embryos.

The research involves transferring nuclei containing DNA from human cells, such as skin cells, to animal eggs that have had almost all their genetic information removed.

At present, scientists have to rely on human eggs left over from fertility treatment, but they are in short supply and often imperfect.

“Using hybrid embryos has never been acceptable – it offends the dignity of humans and animals,” said Josephine Quintavalle of campaign group Comment on Reproductive Ethics.