Scientists win right to create human-animal test ‘chimeras’
Scientist will be able to create half-animal half-human embryos for the first time under controversial new rules announced by the Government.
In a dramatic U-turn, Health Minister Dawn Primarolo bowed to pressure from scientists and promised to allow the creation of animal-human “chimeras” for medical research.
Researchers say combining the DNA and cells of humans and animals could lead to new treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
They stressed that hybrid embryos would be destroyed after 14 days and not allowed to develop into living creatures.
However, ethical campaigners said mixing human and animal genetic material crossed an unacceptable line.
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