British members of Parliament (MPs) defeated on Monday an MP's attempt to outlaw the creation of hybrid human-animal embryos by 336 votes to 176 in the Commons.
The attempt was made by ex-minister Edward Leigh of the Conservative Party (Tory) who argued the technique was "a step too far and should be banned" and said there was "no evidence yet to substantiate" claims this could lead to treatment for degenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
A separate attempt to ban "pure" hybrid embryos, that would mix a human egg with animal sperm or vice versa, was also defeated in the Commons by 286 votes to 223.
Conservative shadow health minister Mark Simmonds told MPs that some scientists had expressed "serious reservations" about hybrids that were not always at the "human end of the spectrum."
However, Health Minister Dawn Primarolo insisted any research done using human embryos "must satisfy the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, that it's necessary or desirable" for a statutory research purpose.
This research is giving the scientists the ability, within clear boundaries within which to advance technologies that can help in the development of treatments for devastating, degenerative diseases, for infertility and learning, Primarolo said, adding no human "admix" embryo would be implanted into a woman or animal.
MPs are being given a free vote on four controversial parts -- the creation of hybrid embryos, role of fathers in fertility treatment, savior siblings and the upper limit for abortion -- of the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill which is aimed at updating laws in line with scientific advances.
The bill would allow regulated research using hybrid or "admix" embryos, where the nuclei of a human cell are inserted into an animal egg. The resulting embryos would be kept for up to 14 days to harvest stem cells.
Such cells can be used to create brain, skin, heart and other tissue for treating diseases.
Both Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Conservative leader David Cameron have backed the use of hybrid embryos as a means to develop treatments for cancer and conditions such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.
They also support the creation of "savior siblings" selected by parents in order to provide tissue material for seriously ill children.
Leading medical research charities, including the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council, have issued an open letter also urging MPs to back such research, saying advances in the "understanding and treatment of diseases must not be closed down."
Scientists at Newcastle University announced last month that they had created the first part-human, part-animal hybrid embryos in Britain, by injecting DNA derived from human skin cells into eggs taken from cows' ovaries which had had virtually all their genetic material removed.
Researchers say these human-animal "admixed" embryos could help solve the current problem of the lack of human eggs from which to generate embryos.
The vote on the role of fathers in IVF treatment and abortion limits will be held on Tuesday.
If the proposals are approved, the new legislation could come into force next year.
Source: Xinhua
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