Scientists have already been able to extract stem cells from embryos and grow them in labs until they become sorted into muscle cells and neurons. Researchers have also been able to make bone marrow cells turn into liver cells, offering hope that specialised cells can be made to regress and redirect themselves to form different types of cells. However, as the law stands, scientists can only work with stem cells less than two weeks old to carry out research into understanding fertility, reproduction or congenital disorders. Using stem cells for any other purpose is not allowed, and neither is cloning human embryos. Benefits Making babies would not be the only purpose for human cloning.
Therapeutic cloning has the potential to benefit vast numbers of people.
The procedure involves taking genetic material, creating an embryo out of it and then using the embryo's cells to form new tissues which would be identical to the patient's own tissues. If the embryos are cloned from one or more of a patient's own cells, it would at a stroke solve the serious problem of transplant tissue rejection. The hope is that one day it will be possible to grow neurons to replace nerve cells in a brain killed by Parkinson's disease, skin to repair burns and pancreatic cells to produce insulin for diabetics, whose bodies cannot make the hormone. This is backed by the British Medical Association, which has called for the continuation of research. Therapeutic cloning also raises the prospect of people having their own personal stem cells stored in readiness for when they might be needed.