In 1997, SRT reported to the General Assembly on human and animal cloning. At that point, and since, cloning research was almost entirely confined to animals. The human interest in cloning was in the possibilities that reproductive human cloning might be attempted, despite the declared intention of the UK government never to allow it, and the unlikelihood that this would ever be safe. The persistent question in the media is that somewhere, someone will attempt it in the USA where private sector research is essentially unregulated, or in an "offshore" situation outside any restrictive jurisdiction. It began in animals to help in genetically engineering sheep more effectively to produce pharmaceuticals in their milk, but for some sections of the media, it is still all about who would clone the first human baby, however dangerous and unethical this would be. Motion on Reproductive Cloning Legislation
In 1998, the isolation of human embryonic stem cells was announced in the USA, extending from many years of work in mouse stem cells. These are special cells in the early embryo before it begins to differentiate. At this point, they can turn into any type of cell in the human body. Two years ago, US scientists found a way to isolate them. Using special chemical treatments, they believe they can direct them into becoming any type of human cell they choose - skin, heart muscle, nerve cells, etc. This opens up a possibility to create replacement cells to inject into patients suffering from a wide range of diseases which cause irreversible cell degeneration, like Parkinson's, some heart conditions and diabetes. In December 2000, the UK Parliament gave its approval to research using these techniques to produce replacement cells for a range of human diseases where cell degeneration is crucial. Thus far, most of the research is however done in animals, for example into the ways in which early embryonic cells go through the strange process of differentiation. Mice have been genetically engineered to induce a form of Parkinson's disease and tests have been done on replacement cells as a possible mimic of a human therapeutic technique. Research in human stem cells will now proceed, but many of the discoveries may also feed back into other mammalian stem cells, and the spiral of development will continuos.
