Australia ends stem-cell cloning ban
Australian stem-cell researchers have welcomed the 82–62 vote by Federal Parliament to end a four-year ban on cloning human embryos to create embryonic stem (ES) cells for therapeutic applications. The Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction and the Regulation of Human Embryo Research Amendment Act 2006 clears the way for researchers to derive ES cell lines from human embryos created specifically for research by in vitro fertilization, and to conduct somatic-cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) experiments with human cells. Parliament had legislated in April 2002 to limit research to existing ES cell lines derived from surplus human embryos generated for in vitro fertilization patients. When practicable, SCNT would provide a platform technology to create disease-specific cell lines for studies of the aetiology of genetically complex disorders, notes Stephen Livesey, CEO of the Australian Stem Cell Centre (ASCC). The ASCC is supporting Paul Verma of the Monash Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne in a collaborative project with Indian researchers at the National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH) in Mumbai to develop and demonstrate SCNT in a non-human primate model as a prelude to human experiments. Verma believes the ban compromised Australian stem cell research. “We've been quite strong in SCNT research in animals, and are well placed to do work in humans,” he says. GO
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