LONDON ¿ The U.K. government has rejected the advice of its two main advisory bodies and refused to allow the use of cloned human embryos in therapeutic research. The move surprised the biotechnology industry, which was expecting the go-ahead after the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Human Genetics Advisory Commission (HGAC) said in December 1998 that cloning to produce specialized tissues should be allowed.

Tessa Jowell, the Minister for Public Health said it ¿has been suggested that therapeutic cloning techniques might be able to provide immunologically compatible tissue for the treatment of degenerative diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys and cerebral tissues, or repair damage to skin or bones. We believe that more evidence is required of the need for such research, its potential benefits and risks, and that account should be taken of alternative approaches.¿

Jowell disclosed the formation of a new advisory group to assess the risks of using cloning techniques for therapeutic purposes. It will be chaired by the chief medical officer Liam Donaldson, and is expected to report early next year. Jowell also reiterated the ban on human reproductive cloning, and said the safeguards currently in place to prevent it are adequate.

The current law relating to research on human embryos permits their use, under license, for the first 14 days following conception. The HFEA and HGAC advice was that the law should be amended to allow research on cloned embryos for up to 14 days.