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Bishop Sgreccia Responds to Reports From England and Korea
VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Reports of “therapeutic” cloning of embryos in England and South Korea highlight the need for international organizations and political authorities to halt this practice, says a Vatican official.
Bishop Elio Sgreccia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, sounded that warning Saturday on Vatican Radio.
Echoing a report in The Times newspaper the day before, Vatican Radio explained that a team at Newcastle University, headed by Alison Murdoch and Miodrag Stojkovic, created three blastocysts, namely, the clones of human embryos in the first stage.
Last year, the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority of Great Britain authorized the university’s team to work on “therapeutic” cloning.
The British scientists worked on 36 ovules donated by 11 women who underwent treatment for in vitro fertilization. The nucleus of each ovule was replaced by a skin stem cell. The ovules were then subjected to an electric discharge to initiate the growth process.
“Custom-made”
From 10 ovules, the researchers were able to create three blastocysts. The attempt to extract stem cells had not yet been successful as clones had not lived for more than five days.
According to the researchers, the experiment was carried out to prove that ovules taken from women who have undergone treatment for in vitro fertilization are adequate to produce clones.
The news from Newcastle paralleled that of another research group of the University of Seoul and the University of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, directed by Woo Suk Hwang.
The research was published online on “Science-Express.” Adult skin stem cells were extracted from 11 individuals – men and women – affected by various illnesses. Eleven human embryos were obtained from this.
Full article
VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Reports of “therapeutic” cloning of embryos in England and South Korea highlight the need for international organizations and political authorities to halt this practice, says a Vatican official.
Bishop Elio Sgreccia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, sounded that warning Saturday on Vatican Radio.
Echoing a report in The Times newspaper the day before, Vatican Radio explained that a team at Newcastle University, headed by Alison Murdoch and Miodrag Stojkovic, created three blastocysts, namely, the clones of human embryos in the first stage.
Last year, the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority of Great Britain authorized the university’s team to work on “therapeutic” cloning.
The British scientists worked on 36 ovules donated by 11 women who underwent treatment for in vitro fertilization. The nucleus of each ovule was replaced by a skin stem cell. The ovules were then subjected to an electric discharge to initiate the growth process.
“Custom-made”
From 10 ovules, the researchers were able to create three blastocysts. The attempt to extract stem cells had not yet been successful as clones had not lived for more than five days.
According to the researchers, the experiment was carried out to prove that ovules taken from women who have undergone treatment for in vitro fertilization are adequate to produce clones.
The news from Newcastle paralleled that of another research group of the University of Seoul and the University of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, directed by Woo Suk Hwang.
The research was published online on “Science-Express.” Adult skin stem cells were extracted from 11 individuals – men and women – affected by various illnesses. Eleven human embryos were obtained from this.
Full article