tokyo

Japanese scientists are concerned that proposed regulations on cloning could jeopardize the international impact of their work.

An interim report released in June by the Science and Technology Council expresses support for the advancement of cloning technology (see Nature 393, 726; 1998). But as well as calling for the strict regulation of human cloning, it requires information about all mammalian cloning research to be made public before the animal is born.

The report, to be finalized by autumn, says researchers are not expected to release information that could undermine their intellectual property rights. But it does not specify precisely when they are to release their information. Scientists will be expected to report their plans in advance to the government, which will make a public announcement to stimulate awareness and understanding of cloning technologies.

Researchers carrying out projects funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (MAFF) will be required to announce the contents of their research activities a hundred days after implantation.

But several researchers are concerned that these regulations would make it impossible for them to conceal the birth of cloned animals until publication in scientific journals. They see this as a significant disadvantage, as researchers outside Japan are not subject to such restrictions.

Yukio Tsunoda, a professor in mammalian embryology at Kinki University who was responsible for the cloning of twin calves earlier this month (see Nature 394, 114; 1998), says he feels under pressure because the paper he is writing about it will be published months after the animals were born.

The calves, produced by scientists at Kinki University and Ishikawa Prefecture Livestock Research Centre, are claimed to be the second large mammals cloned from adult somatic cells. The team used cells from the oviducts of an adult cow.

Apart from the fact that the project was funded by MAFF, Tsunoda says his decision to announce the births of the calves reflects the government's call for the disclosure of scientific information on cloning.

Although news of the cloned calves was welcomed by the scientific community in Japan, the lack of detailed information gave rise to some scepticism among overseas researchers. One cloning expert says he still has no idea of the techniques or type of cells used in the work.

The twin calves, named Noto and Kaga, will soon be joined by many others. MAFF has recently revealed that a total of 29 cloned calves — including eight from Tsunoda's research groups — are expected to be born by the end of the year.