Lords back research on cloned embryos

The House of Lords has voted to allow scientists to create cloned human embryos for medical research, making Britain one of the first countries in the world to permit the work.

Peers voted on 22 January to approve regulations extending the uses of embryo research, following a vote in the House of Commons last month.

What the new rules allow

The regulations allow scientists to use early human embryos to research serious diseases, and to create embryos using cloning techniques, known as therapeutic cloning. The embryos can be kept for up to 14 days, after which they must be destroyed.

The aim is to obtain stem cells, which have the ability to develop into many different types of tissue. Scientists hope stem cells could one day be used to repair damaged organs and treat conditions such as Parkinson's disease, diabetes and spinal injuries.

Reproductive cloning, creating a cloned baby, remains banned.

A heated debate

The vote followed a long and emotional debate. Supporters, including many scientists and patient groups, argued that the research could bring huge medical benefits and relieve suffering.

Opponents, including religious groups and some peers, said that creating embryos to be destroyed was morally wrong, and that it could open the door to cloned babies. An amendment calling for the decision to be delayed while a committee studied the issue was defeated.

The Lords agreed to set up a select committee to look at the issues raised by stem cell research.

Britain's lead

Britain has a strong record in this field. Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell, was created at the Roslin Institute near Edinburgh in 1996, and Britain was the birthplace of IVF in 1978.

All research on human embryos in Britain is regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which must license each project.

Around the world

Other countries have taken different approaches. In the United States, the government does not fund research that destroys embryos, although private research is allowed. Several European countries ban such research altogether.

Scientists say the decision will help British researchers remain at the forefront of a field that could transform medicine. Critics say they will continue to campaign against it.

The first licences for the new research could be granted later this year.