Cybrid human embryos--warranting opportunities to augment embryonic stem cell research.
The recent vote in the British Parliament allows scientists in principle to create hybrid embryos by transferring human somatic cell nuclei into animal oocytes. This vote opens a fascinating new area of research with the central aim of generating interspecific lines of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that could potentially be used to understand development, differentiation, gene expression and genomic compatibility. It will also promote human cell therapies, as well as the pharmaceutical industry's search for new drug targets. If this approach is to be successful, many biological questions need to be answered and, in addition, some moral and ethical aspects must be taken into account.
Fulka
Josef
J
Institute of Animal Science, Prague, Czech Republic. fulka@vuzv.cz
Fulka
Helena
H
St John
Justin
J
Galli
Cesare
C
Lazzari
Giovanna
G
Lagutina
Irina
I
Fulka
Josef
J
Loi
Pasqualino
P
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D065150:Cellular Reprogramming / Q000502:physiology; D019976:Cloning, Organism / Q000941:ethics; D019924:Embryo Disposition / Q000941:ethics; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D053652:Nuclear Transfer Techniques / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000639:trends*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology; D035845:Research Embryo Creation / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods; D039901:Totipotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism