Dolly's creators want to do human stem-cell work

By Michael McDonough
The Associated Press

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LONDON — The creators of Dolly the sheep, the world's first mammal cloned from an adult, want to create cloned human embryos for stem-cell research, one of the scientists said yesterday.

The Roslin Institute, near Edinburgh, Scotland, said it is considering applying to the government's fertility authority for a license to carry out the procedure, known as therapeutic cloning.

The purpose is not to create a baby but to harvest stem cells from very early-stage embryos — a procedure some oppose because embryos are destroyed.

Ian Wilmut, who led the team that created Dolly, said it would be "immoral" not to use therapeutic cloning for stem-cell research, which many scientists believe could help to treat disorders such as Parkinson's disease and diabetes.

In February, a South Korean-led team reported the first success at harvesting stem cells from a cloned human embryo.

In the United States, Advanced Cell Technology of Worcester, Mass., has tried unsuccessfully to produce stem cells through human cloning.

Britain legalized therapeutic cloning in 2001, becoming the first country to do so. The move allowed scientists to create cloned embryos only for stem-cell medical research.

But scientists wishing to perform therapeutic cloning in Britain also need a license from the government's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which has not yet granted any for the procedure.

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