Britain issues cloning license

LONDON – Britain granted its first license for human cloning Wednesday, joining South Korea on the leading edge of stem cell research, which is restricted by the Bush administration and which many scientists believe may lead to treatments for a range of diseases.

The British license went to Newcastle University researchers who hope eventually to create insulin-producing cells that could be transplanted into diabetics.

South Korean scientists announced in February they had cloned an embryo and extracted the stem cells from it.

Many scientists believe stem cells hold vast promise for treating an array of diseases from diabetes to Parkinson’s. Stem cells can potentially grow into any type of human tissue and scientists hope to be able to direct the blank cells to grow into specific cell types needed for transplant.

Stem cells can be found in adults, but scientists believe they may not be as versatile as those found in embryos. They envision using cloning to create an embryo from a patient so that stem cells extracted would be a perfect transplant match.

Britain’s ProLife Party lamented the decision and said it was considering whether it could sue.

Regulations on cloning and stem cell research vary around the world. Britain is the only European country that licenses cloning for stem cell research.